The Raven and the Lion
by Paradigm of Writing
Summary: On the spectrum of love, there can always be two specific ranges. On one end, there is the strong and buff, like Lucas Richards, captain of the school football team. Then there had to be the opposite of that, being gangly and weakly. You had Ness Mortmain. When, in what world did the raven ever fall in love with the lion? For these two, that just might have been the case.
1. Chapter 1: Games That Can Kill

**Hey everyone! Paradigm of Writing here with a new WIP that everyone has probably seen before. Back in February to April of 2015, I had a story called The Raven and the Lion on my profile that I had to delete for personal reasons from my family (I choose not to discuss it any further, thank you very much). However, this story is still the same exact as it was back when I wrote it all those days and months ago, and I'm taking the... I suppose I could say bravery to just and repost it again and see what happens, if anything good happens I don't know. If you all remember, Ness and Lucas have their roles switched and all that fancy jazz. We have Ness, Lucas, Red, Nana, and... a certain someone I won't spoil for again back in this story. I have all the old chapters still in my computer somewhere, and even though it is about to die as my charger is like shot, I am posting every three days or so, sometimes even less. Enjoy, again Chapter 1: Games That Can Kill.**

* * *

God damn it. How had he let himself get caught up in all this.

Leaning against the wall of the small pitch black closet, Ness cursed himself for not having just told Nana to screw off when she nominated him to play seven minutes in heaven. She was always the first one to try and set him up with someone, be it a boy or a girl.

She was still trying to figure out exactly which way he swung, which was something Ness had made sure to keep to himself. As his best friend, Nana seemed to have an obsessive desire to set him up with someone- anyone. It had become a game between the two of them, she trying to set him up with both boys and girls to see which one he went for and him doing his best to remain ambiguous.

It wasn't that he was ashamed of what he was, he just enjoyed torturing his best friend by not telling her. Of course, that meant not telling anybody else as well, which made the whole seven minutes in heaven thing quite complicated. He was really not looking forward to the prospect of kissing a girl, or having to resist pushing her off of him in order to not give himself away. No doubt Nana would make sure to send in one of her close friends to spill all the details the second the seven minutes was up.

Lucas raised his hand.

"I'll go in."

Complete silence followed as everyone in the room averted their gaze to him.

"As a joke of course."

Relieved laughter filled the air as both the boys and the girls sitting in the room relaxed, both for different reasons. No doubt all the girls would be upset to find out that they didn't have a chance with the school's golden boy. And, as for the guys, hanging out with the most popular kid in school would become a lot more complicated if they found out he was gay… or bisexual… or sexually confused.

Lucas had never bothered to label himself. He just figured he was attracted to people for different reasons, their gender not playing a factor. The problem was, he found girls pretty, but…they never really seemed to do it for him.

Ness, however, was a totally different story. He'd been watching him for quite some time, almost obsessively. He was surprised the guy hadn't noticed. This was the perfect opportunity to get some alone time with him without having to out himself.

"Hey, Lucas." He paused as he headed for the door, a mahogany haired girl with soft diamond eyes and a bubbly smile calling his name. Her name was Nana, if he remembered correctly, and she was in his math class.

"Yeah?" he asked, staring at her hesitantly.

"Listen, I'm trying to figure out which way my friend Ness, the one in the closet, swings. He refuses to tell me, so I have to resort to these little games. I don't want you to do anything too totally embarrassing, but could you just... I dunno, like just kiss him on the cheek?"

The girl seemed to feel awkward asking this of him, although he had already made plans himself to do much more than just kiss Ness on the cheek.

"Umm….I dunno, I'll see." Lucas said, shrugging nonchalantly.

"You should totally kiss him, Lucas," He could hear his friend Red's voice call out from behind him, his macho guy ego tainting his words with evil malice. "It'll be a hoot. Especially if he thinks you're a girl."

"Yeah…" the blonde said, remembering most people weren't really sure which way Ness swung. He'd been able to pick up on the fact that the guy was gay immediately, but most other people seemed oblivious to it.

Pushing open the closet door, Lucas quickly closed it behind him. He didn't need his friends blowing his cover.

By the time Ness had whipped his head around, the small flash of light that had illuminated the closet was gone. He knew someone else was in here with him, he just didn't know who. He could tell by the sound of the person's breath that they were near the door of the closet, but beyond that he knew nothing more than he had a minute ago.

Ness could hear the figure pause at the door before taking a few steps forward. In response, he equaled each step forward with one backward until he found himself pressed up against the closet wall. Oh god, this was going to be horrible, absolutely miserable. Nana was going to pay for forcing him to make out with some random chick of hers that probably had onion ring breath and liked to use her tongue as a projectile.

He could feel himself take a sharp breath as he heard the figure come to a stop in front of him. He could feel the person's breath come down on him in short, controlled waves. To his relief, he found it smelled pleasant, like peppermint, rather than onion rings. Oddly though, it felt like it was coming down from above him, which meant the person had to be taller than him.

Ness was of decent stature, 5'7, though his frame was quite slim, especially for a teenage boy. That meant, judging from the angle, the girl had to be at least 5'9. Great. Absolutely just... just spectacular with a stupid shit storm for extra effort. Nana had sent some barbarian woman in here to have her way with him.

"You know, we don't really have to do anything…" Ness mumbled, swallowing hard as he tugged at his collar. The closet seemed to have suddenly gotten extremely stuffy, and somehow smaller. He'd never experienced claustrophobia before, but he was willing to bet this was exactly how people with it felt.

The figure standing in front of him responded by leaning one hand against the wall, and lacing the other around his belt buckle.

The figure _also_ seemed surprisingly strong as he pulled Ness towards him by the belt buckle. Instinctively, he flung his arms outward as if to brace himself, and froze.

Whoever was standing in front of him was definitely not female. He could feel the guy's rock hard chest under his hands, and judging by the width of it he also had fairly broad shoulders. Ness could feel himself start to panic as he pulled away. This had turned from totally awkward and uncomfortable to… well, even more awkward and uncomfortable. The guy didn't let go of him, though.

He kept him in place by the belt buckle, almost as if he'd expected Nate to pull away.

"Shhh…" was all Ness heard before a pair of soft, warm lips came down on his. He didn't move at all, staying as still as a statue. His brain didn't seem to be able to process what was happening, rendering him basically paralyzed.

The boy didn't seem to mind, his lips slowly parting Ness's as-

Poor Ness, frightened and startled, he jerked away so fast he slammed his head against the back of the closet. "Ow!" he cursed to himself, glad that at least the guy had released his grip on his belt buckle during the kiss-or whatever had just happened.

"Are you alright?"

He froze. He knew that voice. Lucas Richards, the local pretty boy… the boy he'd also had a crush on for as long as he could remember.

This was just some sick joke him and his friends had set up for their sadistic amusement. Nana wasn't the only one who didn't know which way he swung, which meant he was as good as gay in the eyes of the average jock. This title, of course, came with nice little entitlements like getting your ass kicked whenever you walked home alone and wearing your lunch instead of eating it.

"You're sick! You think this is funny, go ahead and laugh it up-"

"No. Wait. Listen."

"Why, so you can tell me how much of a fag I am." Ness tried to push past Lucas, but felt himself being held back by a set of strong arms.

"That's not what I was going to say."

"Get off of me!"

"Please, just-"

Before he could say anything else, the door burst open, Nana rushing in.

"What the hell Erik! I told you to kiss him on the cheek, not rough him around!" From outside of the closet, Ness could hear cackling from all of Lucas's buddies, obviously amused at the mixture of anger and terror plastered on his face.

"You did this." Ness shot back, shaking Lucas's hands off of him as he shifted his glare from him to Nana. "Wow, my _best friend_. This is a new low for you, really. Congratulations. Way to screw everything up, once again!

"Ness-" Lucas began.

"No. Shut the hell up," the raven haired boy glared, trying to hide the hurt in his eyes. "Just leave me alone." Pushing past him, Ness could feel Lucas's eyes on him, as well as everyone else in the room, as he ran out of the house.

This was a prime example of why he made a point to avoid high school parties. He could feel it start to rain, soon turning into an all out downpour. Good, at least this way no one would be able to see his tears.

* * *

 **There we are guys! Just like good old times, right? Thank you so much for reading, and please review. You know I'll be updating this fairly quickly as the chapters are already still in my computer. I have to wait before I get a new charger cable again, but that'll be within the next few couples of days as it is anyways. I love you all, and I hope you guys have a blessed day! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	2. Chapter 2: Assuredly in Denial

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with the second chapter of The Raven and the Lion; Assuredly in Denial. Like I said, I have all the chapters saved on my computer, and after editing them, I'll be uploading them daily, or at least in very close succession so it doesn't give us a lot of time to just... I don't know... reciprocate, I suppose? I am changing my chapter title names because personally I don't like them all, but the cast stays the same! I originally, after yesterday, was going to have Ryu or Cloud take Shulk's position, but then with some lovely coaching and coaxing realize to keep it the same because that is what gave this story some of its power. So enjoy chapter two!**

* * *

"Ness, what's your answer to question seven?

Shit. "Sixty-seven?"

"Wrong."

His teacher pursed her lips at him, making sure he noticed the disappointment on her face before continuing. He rolled his eyes. If she ever took a day off from being a total bitch, he had yet to see it.

He couldn't focus anyways. He was too preoccupied by the hole Lucas's gaze was burning in the side of his head four seats over and the waded up paper balls that were hitting the back of his head every thirty seconds, courtesy of Nana.

This was, apparently, the best way she'd figured to get his attention. No candy. No apology card. Even finally getting the conspicuously absent five month old birthday gift she still owed him would have been better than this. Nope, ever endearing Nana had elected this route. Lucky him.

He'd been able to ignore it at first, but the longer it went on, the larger the paper balls seemed to be getting. She was getting desperate. He was worried she might elect to use something more lethal, like the spare tampons she carried with her to throw at people in the movie theaters who wouldn't shut up or her chewing gum. Scary stuff. One time, to get his attention, it had been a fancy awards banquet back in middle school, and she had grabbed the largest pile of dirt from the ground and chucked it at Ness. All over his brand new white dress shirt. Which became promptly the laughing stock of the hour. Not fun.

Just as he was about to turn around and cuss her out, Ness felt a tap on his shoulder.

Sighing, he turned to the left, making no effort to hide the disinterest in his face. He normally wasn't so mean, but after last night he was still seething.

"What?"

Red, Lucas's friend if he remembered correctly, smirked at him like he'd just achieved another dimension of asshole.

"Don't get any ideas."

"What?" Ness mumbled, thoroughly annoyed.

"Just because I sit next to you, I don't want your hands all over me." the raven haired boy resisted the urge to gag, settling with a subtle finger curl to channel his repulsion. The boy smelled like he'd bathed in cologne, the type that was too strong even when used in the recommended amount. His voice had an awkward depth to it, eluding to Ness's suspicion that the guy was probably juiced up on all sorts of steroids. He had on sunglasses, the type that dumb-asses like him wore inside even though it was obviously not serving a purpose because they thought it made them look bad-ass.

"Excuse me?"

"You know, with you being a fag and all." Red said, looking at Ness as if he had some type of deadly disease.

Ah, sheer and unbridled ignorance at its best. He should've figured as much. He was almost tempted to give the guy a break, considering he doubted the meat-head's pea sized brain was even capable of grasping out-of-the-box concepts. Perhaps all those steroids of his had fried one-too-many brain cells.

"Ah, so you automatically assumed I'd be interested in you?" Ness mused, repulsion marring his features. Why try to hide it? It wasn't as if he'd be able to see much behind those lame ass glasses of his.

"No duh. I mean, c'mon." the idiot smirked, gesturing to himself with a wave of his hands. He made sure to flex his forearms as he did, puffing out his chest as if to put his assets on display.

"Well, I dunno, Red. I can't really get a good look at you with your head stuck so far up your ass." Ness shot back, sarcasm thick in his voice. He had dealt with guys like mister meat for brains before. They were the reason he didn't like to go around flaunting his sexuality. They caused problems for him, a whole lot, that he really didn't need on his plate between all the shit he was already dealing with.

"Look who grew some balls. I would tell you to shut your mouth if it wasn't already busy trying to suck Lucas's cock."

Ness's eyes flared with anger, his fingers curling slightly as his whole body tensed up.

"Oh, don't worry, Red. I'm not taking your sex buddy away from you. I've heard about what goes on in the locker showers after those football games. I get it. You two like to keep it on the down low."

The bully's face went lax for a moment, obviously surprised Ness had stood up for himself. Anger quickly took its place, furrowing those thick brows of his. "I don't swing that way, you dirty cock sucker. But that doesn't mean I won't beat the shit out of you for saying I do."

"Oh, I'm so scared. How ever will I defend myself from a steroid filled, pea-brained moron." Ness mocked, rolling his eyes.

"After class." Red growled, his eyes narrowing as he glared at his devilish antagonized victim.

"Whatever." Ness mumbled, turning back to the front of the class in his seat.

* * *

He didn't bother to try and run as the bell rang, sending his classmates stampeding out the door along with his oblivious math teacher. Yeah. She'd been a real help. There at a moment's notice to scold him for not knowing the answer to her stupid little math problem but conspicuously absent amidst the obvious bullying taking place in her class.

He knew what was coming. He was used to shit like this happening ever since 5th grade.

Red seemed displeased Ness wasn't making an effort to escape, yanking him up by the collar and pulling him across the desk. Guys like him got off on fear. Well too bad for him. There was no way Ness was going to give him the pleasure of seeing him squirm. Never in a million years. This guy needed to do a _whole_ lot more than just throw him around once or twice.

He could hear a scream come from behind him.

Ah, so Nana had stayed to watch the show. An audience, just what he needed.

Red drew back his fist, getting ready to strike.

"Put him down. "

Red _and_ Ness both whipped their heads around to the source of the voice. Lucas was standing there, a few feet away from them, looking mad as hell. It was odd, seeing, who was always so cool and collected, all upset and bothered over something involving him. He'd dropped his backpack to his feet, as if preparing himself to handle the situation however he had to.

"Dude," the football captain's buddy began, shaking his head. "The little... this little- he deserves it! He said-"

"I don't care what he said. You let go of him or you become my problem." Lucas said, his voice totally serious as he stared down his friend. He had a commanding presence, the tone in his voice making up for whatever size difference Sean had on him.

Red's eyes narrowed, pausing for a moment before he let go of Ness.

The boy stumbled back a few feet, putting some distance between him and the player who didn't know his right foot from his left.. By the looks of it, though, Red had his eyes on a new target. Lucas. Mr. Tall, Blue Eyed, Blonde and Handsome. _Shit_.

"So, maybe the fag has been sucking your cock after all." Red growled, glaring at the football captain.

"Let it go, dude. You know fighting would get you kicked off the football team." the blonde reminded him, keeping his voice level.

"I don't see any teachers around." Red spat.

"What about the girl? She can't keep her mouth shut to save her life." Lucas said, motioning to Nana who was now at Ness's side, trying to comfort him despite his protests.

Red paused, as if contemplating his friend's words. Slowly, the anger drained from his face.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry dude, I shouldn't have doubted you."

Lucas nodded.

"Listen, why don't you go on ahead and tell the rest of the group to leave without me. I've gotta do some damage control here and make sure that these two don't run their mouths."

The bully nodded, patting his friend on the shoulder as he passed him before jogging out the door.

Ness straightened up, pushing Nana away for the umpteenth time as he glared at Lucas (or the guy who always messed everything up because it was his specialty).

"I don't need you playing the stupid hero and coming to my rescue every time I've got a problem."

"Really, cause it looks like you do ." Lucas smirked, raising an eyebrow at Nate as he crossed his arms.

"I don't want your help. Next time just mind your own god damn business."

"A simple thank you would suffice."

"For what? You're the whole reason I got in a fight with him in the first place; you and your little closet prank." Ness retorted, now seething with anger.

"Then the least I can do is make sure you don't get your ass beat because of me."

"Well, look who grew a conscience all of a sudden. Please. Spare me your sympathies. Keep your noble shit to yourself and just... just _fuck_ off!"

"That's not why-"

" I don't care why. If you want someone to sit here and talk to, try Nana. She's short a best friend."

"Ness-" she interrupted, being as quiet as a dormouse. Often times she was plugged into tense situations such as this and never knew how to fully handle herself.

"No Nana. Leave. Me. Alone. You had your little laugh and now it's over."

Heading for the door, Ness could barely hear Lucas call over his shoulder.

"You're wrong. This isn't over."

* * *

Nana shifted her gaze to Lucas's awkwardly.

Was he actually into Nate, or was this still some sick prank he'd gone too far on?

"Luke, maybe you should just leave him alone…" she suggested, knowing she'd had no success and she'd been pestering him all morning.

"I can't." the boy muttered, frustration etched in his face. His diamond eyes were bright, yet confused, sweat starting to cascade by his ears.

"Why?"

"I can't explain it… it's just something I have to do."

"Look, last night, the whole 7 minutes in heaven thing, it was just a mistake. "

"No." the football captain muttered, shaking his head.

"What?"

"It wasn't a mistake."

"Lucas..." Nana began, almost feeling sorry for him.

"Just look after him for me, alright." Lucas muttered, walking out the door.

Well, I guess that answered her question. Damn, Lucas was into Ness. Which meant he was gay. Which meant all her over exaggerated fantasies about him had not even the slightest chance of coming true. Well, maybe if her friend broke his heart bad enough, he'd revert to being straight.

A girl's gotta hope, right?

* * *

 **Tada! There we are everyone, chapter two! And I know, these chapters are really short for my standards, as they were pretty short back then too. I'm trying to make them somewhat longer, but we'll see how the editing works out. My favorite part about this chapter is that, like the story, Ness isn't the weakling 'uke' of the story and Lucas is all dominant and strong. And plus Nana likes throwing tampons at people. Let's get that straight too.**

 **So, I have a quick question. Last time I did this story, I had Questions of the Day per chapter as I uploaded them pretty regularly. Would you guys want me to do that again? I loved reading your replies to them, and maybe I'll start that up as well- with review replies like I used to for some of my other stories? I'll respond to my own questions as well. Let me know in the reviews should you choose too, and then I'll, come Chapter _4_ , if I decided to do them again, will. I love you all so much! Thanks for reading and have a blessed day! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	3. Chapter 3: Bribery At Its Finest

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #3: Bribery At Its Finest. This is that intermediate chapter that no one liked, haha, but it is necessary in my opinion to have just so a side character *cough Nana cough* can have some spotlight. Plus, Ness's boss who no one loves. Sorry about the short chapter, it _was_ this small back in the day which wasn't even that long ago. I am sorry to have to let you know I deleted a piece of mine called We Are All That Remain. I got nothing out of it, and my inspiration plummeted. But, we have this story resurged instead! Hope you enjoy! **

* * *

Ness stared at the cracks in the sidewalk, making sure not to step on them as he put one foot in front of the other. Yeah, it was silly. And stupid. And childish. But he needed something to distract him from the drama that had transpired the past twenty-four hours.

He'd lost his best friend, he'd been strung along in some sick joke by his crush, and he'd almost gotten his face punched in by some fat-headed moron. Not exactly his idea of a good time.

He probably should have stayed to finish off the school day, but he'd been too shaky to even hold his pencil still enough to write legibly after the nice little chat he'd had with Red and Lucas. He wanted to be alone, at home, where he could sort through his thoughts and make sense of all that had happened.

 _ **Beep, beep.**_

He flinched, jolting upwards and turning his head towards the noise.

"C'mon, Ness. Jump in!" Nana yelled, leaning out the window of her hot pink slug bug.

The raven haired boy sighed. God, did she ever give up?

"Don't you have a class now?" he muttered, continuing to walk forward.

His ex-friend drove at a snail's pace alongside him, obviously not intending to let him get away so easily.

"Don't you?" she chimed in that familiar voice of hers that she always used when she knew she was right.

Ness stuffed his hands into his pockets, averting his gaze back to the muted grey sidewalk.

"What do you want?"

Nana smiled shamelessly.

"For you to forgive me."

"Not happening."

"Then at least let me give you a ride to Mac's Diner." she pleaded.

Shoot. That's right. He worked tonight. He'd forgotten amidst all the drama of the day.

"I'll take the city bus."

Nana made a small frown before a persistent smile took its place.

"I'll buy you a really big hot fudge sundae. Something you've been dying to have."

Damn it. She knew him well. That's what he'd been heading home to drown his sorrows in. Chocolate and ice cream always had a way of making everything better.

"With extra hot fudge?" he asked hopefully, eyebrows raised, interest peaked.

Ness slowed his pace.

"And two cherries."

Won over, he slowly walked over to Nana's car and sunk into the passenger's seat.

"Three cherries…" he mumbled, crossing his arms.

"Look Ness, I'm sorry. You know I never meant for any of this to happen."

"I know…" he admitted, chewing on his lower lip. "I just wish it hadn't been him."

"Why?"

"Because then it wouldn't have hurt as much."

"So, does that mean…?" she asked slowly, a triumphant smile creeping onto her lips.

"Yup."

Nana made a squeaking noise that made him feel like his ears were bleeding.

"I knew it! This is great!" she chimed, her eyes brimming with happiness.

"Great?"

"Of course! This way we can both gush over guys together!"

Ness couldn't help but let out a small laugh. She never skipped a beat.

"I think you should give him a chance." she added, now more serious.

"Huh. Who?"

"Mac, your boss," she rolled her eyes. "Lucas! Duh."

Ness looked away. "I don't know, Nana, he's just…."

"He's totally into you." she said, slight envy in her voice.

"You don't know that. What if it's still part of that stupid prank?"

Nana scrunched her face up, as if in deep thought. "He told me to look after you for him."

Ness froze. "What?"

"Yeah. After you left the math room."

He turned five shades of red; crimson and violet waves dotted his face, his palms suddenly becoming sweaty. It couldn't be…

"But, I mean, he's not even gay, is he?" Ness asked, trying to remember Lucas's dating history. Yeah, he'd dated girls before. The geek could remember, because he always felt insane for being jealous of the them, since he technically wasn't even an option. Then again, what about that kiss they'd shared in the closet? He sure as hell seemed pretty gay then.

Nana shrugged. "Maybe you're the exception."

"The exception?" he asked, confused. Did that word even exist in dating?

"You know, that one person that you find yourself attracted to that's not the gender you'd normally go for." his best friend said, as if she was telling him the sum of two plus two was four.

Ness raised an eyebrow. "I've never heard of that before."

"Everyone has one. I swear." Nana said, a serious look crossing her face as she smacked her chewing gum.

"I've never met a girl I've been attracted to before." Ness crossed his arms over his chest, doubt marring his features.

Nana shrugged. "Maybe the rule only works for straight people."

If it was true, which he highly doubted it was, then that had to be the case. The thought of even kissing a girl the way Lucas had kissed him made him want to gag.

* * *

Pulling up in front of Mac's Diner, Nana stayed true to her word and bought him a hot fudge Sunday before heading home.

The shift passed without incident. Ness checked out at ten o'clock as usual and headed home on the city bus.

He spent the rest of the week trying to avoid Lucas and Red, which was quite difficult considering they were in almost all of his classes. With Nana on his side now, though, he could just barely manage it. Her gift for gab was proving to be quite useful, which was never something Ness thought would happen.

By the time Friday night rolled around, he was utterly exhausted from all his evasion tactics.

Ness, however, had a whole night of work to look forward to. In truth, he really didn't mind it. Work gave him a valid distraction, a reprieve from his own problems.

Halfway through his shift, he heard his boss call him over. Mac Pollett, owner extraordinaire of one of the finest restaurants in town. With a muscular build, low cut mahogany hair, and eyes that'd stop a tiger in their tracks, it was strange how someone so... tough looking could be so maternal and operate a diner of all things when the deal had been said and done.

"Yeah?" he asked, his brows creasing in worry as he jogged over to his boss.

"I got a waiter request for you over at table six."

Curiosity contorting his features, Ness glanced over. No one ever requested him. Except for Shulk. But he barely came in anymore.

Shulk was….an interesting fellow. He frequented the diner just to see Ness, and wasn't shy about it. He hadn't minded it at first because the guy always tipped well, and it was kind of flattering in a creepy, stalker way that he came in here just to see him. He never really took the older man seriously, though, considering the guy was 28 and Ness was 17.

He could only see the back of a person's head as he surveyed booth six, but it obviously wasn't Shulk. No, Shulk had dirt blonde hair. This guy's hair was nearly fifteen shades brighter, almost like a glass of lemonade left out on wooden tables near picnic areas during the summer.

Making his way over to the booth, Ness whipped out a small white tablet and a pencil from his diner uniform.

"Welcome to Mac's Diner. How may I take your-"

The figure turned towards him, familiar sky blue eyes meeting his gaze.

"Hello Ness."

The little... the little _fucker_.

* * *

 **There we are my fellows! How does it seem to have Mac become Ness's boss? I'd find it funny to see a short man like Mac run a business such as a diner, being all studious and crap. Can you imagine it? Well, we've got all the same characters in their position, which I felt like switching up, but I think it is for the better I keep it this way. And, well, who else could possibly be wanting Ness to be _his_ waiter. Gee... I have no idea. Thanks for reading! I love you all so much and the fourth chapter will be here before we know it! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	4. Chapter 4: Blonde Haired Disease

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #4: Blonde Haired Disease. It's time to get Ness even more screwed up, right? I noticed that traffic for this is really low, which I'll admit I find odd, but I realized it is because this story when I update was not or still _is_ , not being pushed up to the top of the archive although I clearly have a chapter made, which is odd. The number count goes up, but the date updated does not. Throwing off everything, I must say. But, then again, not a problem. Enjoy the chapter! **

* * *

Ness dropped his pencil, and just stood there, frozen in place, like an idiot.

Lucas smirked, leaning over and picking it up in one swift movement.

"I believe you dropped this."

The boy looked at the pencil ad if he'd never seen if before, then back up at Mr. Blonde, Tall, and Handsome.

"You know it isn't polite to stare." Lucas mused, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

Ness's eyes flared. "You should know! That's all you've been doing all week!"

"But I never claimed to be polite."

"Neither did I."

"Isn't it part of your job?" the football captain asked, raising an eyebrow assuredly.

Ness glanced around anxiously, as if worried someone might see him speaking to Lucas

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, dismissing his ' _friend's'_ last question. "Let me guess. Have you come to ruin what's left of my life and get me fired?"

The blonde chuckled. "Not quite. You left me with no choice. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't made a point to avoid me all week."

Opening the menu on the table, Lucas flipped through it nonchalantly.

Ness snatched it away from him.

"Get out. We both know you're not here to eat."

The crooked smile on the other male's lips widened in response.

"Actually, I didn't have dinner yet. What would you recommend?"

Ness could feel Mac's eyes on him, undoubtedly alerted when he had snatched the menu away from Lucas, albeit rather rudely. Daggers shot through his back.

He let out a frustrated sigh, knowing he really had no choice at this point.

"The Volcano Chili." he mumbled, wondering if Lucas would fall for his little trap. That was the hottest thing on the menu. He would probably only be able to manage a bite or two at most.

"Very well," the football player eagerly agreed, studying Ness's face for a moment. "With a cherry coke." What was up with this guy? He acted like some backwards cheerful demon.

"How did you find me here?" Ness asked, wondering if the heart attack in a body had been stalking him this whole time.

"Guess." Lucas said, leaning back in his seat and staring up at Ness, as if preparing himself for a show.

"Did you follow me?"

"No."

"Nana, then?"

"Wrong."

Pausing for a moment, Ness said, "Did you go through my bags and find my uniform?"

Lucas laughed. "I'm glad you think me so thorough. No, though."

"Not thorough," the raven haired boy corrected, his voice harsh. "Creepy."

Blonde still tilted his head to the side. "But you like creepy, don't you Ness?"

"No!" the waiter glared, crossing his arms. How did this guy know what riled him up so?

Lucas chuckled. "You know, I'd like a hot fudge sundae with my order too."

Ness's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"You know," the football captain said, leaning forward, "You should really get to filling my order. I'm getting quite hungry."

Ness huffed, leaving Lucas with a parting glare as he stormed off into the kitchen.

Of course, this was what the bastard wanted. He wanted for his poor little geek boy he knew to have to serve him, to comply with his requests regardless of his own wishes. That _twisted_ son of a bitch! He was smarter than Ness gave him credit for…

Although he had been wrong. Ness didn't like creepy. He loved it.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, he returned to Lucas's table with an order of Volcano Chili a large cherry coke, and a hot fudge sundae.

"Sit." the jock demanded.

He rolled his eyes. "Can't you see I'm working. Some of us actually have responsibilities, which means I can't just plop my ass down whenever I feel like it in the middle of a shift."

"You're off now."

"Huh?"

Lucas pointed to the clock. It was 10:02.

"Then I'm going home." Ness retorted, turning to leave.

He felt strong hands wrap around his arm.

"Then whose going to eat this hot fudge sundae?"

"You."

The blonde shook his head.

"I'm allergic to chocolate."

Ness's eyes bulged, though he kept his mouth shut. He was king of hungry. And he did want to see Lucas burn his tongue off trying to eat the Volcano Chili.

"Fine..." he muttered, plpping down in the booth across from him.

Lucas pushed the hot fudge sunday towards Ness before taking a bite of the chili. Then another. And another.

What the... literal _fuck_ , how could the jock do that without screaming eureka or twenty five million hail Mary's from all the cussing?

"How can you eat that?" Ness asked, picking up a spoon and working away at the hot fudge sundae.

Lucas flashed him a devilish smile. "Ness, buddy, you can't fight fire with fire."

So he'd known all along... the raven haired boy frowned once again. He constantly lowered his defenses, getting worked around them one try after another.

"How'd you know about the hot fudge sundae?"

"Nana." the jock confessed, finishing off the chili and then leaning back to watch Ness eat.

"Damn her..." Ness mumbled, more to himself than to Lucas.

"Its not her fault you sent her off to chat up Red and I all week. There's only so much a person can talk about before letting a secret or two slip."

Ness's features tightened.

"Is that what this is about? Chatting me up so you can dig up more embarrassing secrets about me?"

"No."

"Then why the hell are you here?" he asked, his voice blunt. "Yeah, I've been avoiding you. So what. What do we have to talk about?"

"A lot."

"Like what?" Ness asked, crossing his arms. He was not going to get mysterious encoded descriptions for an answer that'd require the teacher of all things in the world of history to help him decipher. Lucas Richards rose to _Asshole #1_ from the bottom all in one day.

Lucas took a sip of his cherry coke, spinning the straw around for a second before responding.

"Do you have any piercings?"

Ness blinked, puzzled by the change of topic. He knew, though, that protesting would just prolonge the torture.

"What do you think? Your eyes work just fine." he said, fingering his hole-less earlobes.

"Yes, but there are so many places my eyes cannot go. At least while we're in public."

Ness blushed, blinking twice. Had he heard him right?

"Excuse me?"

"Piercings. Do you have any?" Lucas repeated.

"What the hell! Like that's any of your god damn business."

"It could be."

Ness's eyes locked with Lucas's for a moment, unspoken possibilities passing between them before he averted his gaze. He was absolutely red from head to toe, crimson patches flooding the base of his neck and face. His heart was doing some weird pitter-patter routine like it had just run a marathon. His stomach had become a breeding haven for butterflies. And when had the air become so hot and heavy?

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ness stuttered out, focusing his gaze on the table between them.

Lucas paused for a moment, his eyes resting on the other's face. "Whatever you think it means."

"Liar."

"Am I?"

Ness let out a frustrated curse. "Stop it. Stop speaking to me in riddles and mind games. Or I'm leaving."

Lucas's features contorted, as if torn.

"You don't want the truth."

"The hell I don't! That's what I've been asking for this whole time."

"You couldn't handle it. Not yet." the blonde repeated, steadfast in his opinion.

The waiter's eyes flared. "Why don't you let me be the judge of that."

Lucas sighed, as if suddenly bored by the topic of conversation.

"Let me take you home."

"Yeah right." Ness snorted, annoyed his question was obviously not going to be answered, at least not tonight.

"Your bus already left."

Ness glanced at the clock. Shit. Time had flown by. The next bus wasn't in two hours, at least. He found himself only mildly surprised that Lucas had know about his bus routine. Nana had probably opened her big mouth. Again. _Damn her!_

"Fine..." Ness mumbled. "But only because I don't have any other choice."

"Indeed." Lucas replied, a secret smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Something in Lucas's voice made Ness pause.

"Did you plan this.?" he asked, knowing he had only missed the bus by a matter of minutes.

"Does it matter?" the jock asked, the look on his face answering Ness's question. Of course he had planned this. Nothing happened by accident with Lucas

"And I'm guessing you aren't allergic to chocolate either."

Lucas shot him a wry smile. Leaning forward, he ran his finger along the rim of Ness's half-empty hot fudge sundae. He brought his brown tipped finger to his mouth, smiling all the while as he let the chocolate melt in his mouth.

"Figures." the boy mumbled, shaking his head.

Lucas had manipulated the whole situation to get to this point. Ness had no idea what he was planning, but he was worried. He should be scared. He should be cussing him out. Instead, he found himself filled with a sick sense of anticipation.

* * *

 **There we are everyone! I am so happy to have this chapter out, and I'm sort of slacking on my other stories right now, which I'll be back to working with sometime today or tomorrow, don't fully know when. Thank you guys so much for reading! I love you all! Hopefully you all also get to see this chapter as the weird way the archive has been updating is not helping me nor many others. See ya!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	5. Chapter 5: He Knows Him So Well

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #5: He Knows Him So Well. I am super stoked, like always with these chapters as Ness and Lucas are honestly my two favorite Smashers to write in a pairing together even they aren't my OTP at all, not even close (sorry all you Ness x Lucas shippers who love them as #1), personally it's a pairing no one ever thinks of and I won't tell you to spoil, but why not, is Dark Pit x Lucina, or Kurocina as we call it. Unite! Need to write a story with them, don't I? Huh... why haven't I? Anyways, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Ness fidgeted in his seat, his right leg moving up and down anxiously. The whole car smelled like peppermint, just like Lucas's breath had back in that closet. And the scent kept bringing up the god damn memory, reminding him of the kiss they'd shared.

Just great. That was _exactly_ what he wanted to be thinking about while he was sitting next to Lucas… in a small space… alone. Night couldn't be any more perfect, right? Not a chance.

"Enjoying yourself?" the blonde asked, his cool voice interrupting Ness's thoughts.

"No." he muttered, leaning further back into his seat.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Lucas said, not sounding remorseful in the least bit. The small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips topped off the subtle sarcasm in his voice.

"Oh, cut the bullshit." the raven haired boy shot back, getting easily pissed with his 'teasing' attitude, to say the least. The boy frowned, crossing his arms and glaring at Lucas. "Can we just leave already?"

"Well, where do you live?"

"Surprise, surprise. Something you don't know about me." Ness muttered.

"Or maybe I just wanted to see if you'd tell me." The wry smirk on Lucas's lips widened slight as his companion's face contorted in anger.

"It's not like I really have a choice!"

"You could give me the wrong address and have me drop you off a block away from your house." the football player mused.

Damn. He hadn't thought of that. If Lucas knew where he lived, that meant he could drop by anytime he wanted. But now he'd be expecting Ness to give him the wrong address. Besides, judging by the tone in his voice, Lucas probably already knew where he lived.

"1734 Lark Street." Ness muttered, figuring if his not so secret crush really wanted to know where he lived, he'd find out one way or another anyways. He'd already managed to find out where he worked and how he got to and from Mac's Diner.

The red corvette pulled away from the curb, heading in the direction of Ness's house.

"So?"

He glanced over at the jock warily. He didn't like the tone in his voice. "So what?"

"You never answered my question." Lucas said, glancing over at Ness and raising an eyebrow.

The offended wrinkled his nose, making a protesting noise.

"And you never answered mine."

Lucas pursed his lips for a moment, his brows creasing in thought as if contemplating something.

"Very well. For every question you answer of mine, I will answer one of yours."

Ness knew agreeing to something like this was dangerous to what little privacy he had left, but he couldn't resist. His curiosity was eating him alive.

"Fine."

"Good," Lucas nodded, head bobbing down so fast it almost hit the steering wheel, cutting off the boy in the passenger seat before he could ask his question. "So, any piercings?"

"Who says you get to ask the first question?"

"My car. My rules."

Ness let out a huff of resignation. He was grateful for the darkness engulfing the small car. It would hide the violent crimson blush that would undoubtedly plague his face the entirety of the conversation.

"No…" he muttered in response, his voice much weaker that he had meant it to be.

An odd look flashed across Lucas's face for a second before being replaced by his usual cool, collected demeanor.

Ness found himself worrying if he approved. What _the hell_? Why the hell should he care if the blonde haired jock liked piercings or not. He was just a boy. Just a really hot boy he'd spend the last three years stealing glances at and- ugh. This was not helping.

"My turn," Ness said, speaking up a bit more. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you needed a ride home, due to my actions."

"That's not what I-"

A mischievous smirk crept onto Lucas's lips as he interrupted him again.

"It's not my fault you didn't specify. You already asked your question."

"Freaking prick." Ness mumbled, shooting him a death glare.

Lucas chuckled in response, not at all fazed. "I'm flattered, really, but names of endearment aren't exactly my thing. "

He rolled his eyes. "Please. I suppose you think people are flirting with you when they call you _jerk_ and _asshole_ too."

"No. Only when it's you."

"Well I'm not. So get over yourself."

"You should really try to avoid lying to me, Nathaniel. You're not very good at it."

Ness flinched at hearing his full name come out of Lucas's mouth.

"Don't call me that!"

"Why not? It's your real name, isn't it?" he said, phrasing it more of as a statement than a question as amusement played across his face.

"That's not the point! There's a reason I go by Ness."

"And why's that?"

"Because I hate the name Nathaniel. It sounds like it belongs back in the 1800's."

The blonde frowned slightly. "I like your full name. I think I'll start calling you by it from now on."

"Fine. I'll just add that on to my list of reasons to avoid you." Ness groaned, glaring daggers at him.

"Of course. Because that's working out _so_ well for you."

Damn it. He was right. He'd spent the majority of his Friday night with Lucas, albeit against his will, and now he was sitting here chatting him up on a car ride home.

Yup. His plan had gone perfectly.

"Whatever." he mumbled, unwilling to admit defeat.

Although Lucas's humorous smirk remained on his face, his tone portrayed a change of thought.

"Next question… are you a virgin?"

Ness almost choked on the air that had suddenly become too thick for his lungs to handle.

"What?" he choked out, more to stall for time than anything else.

"You heard me." the jock repeated, studying his face carefully.

Ness turned his face away, as if to look out the window, so he wouldn't have to meet Lucas's gaze. He seemed to be able to read him much too easily to make any sort of eye contact safe.

"I. Am. So. Not. Answering that." Ness breathed, his palms breaking out in a dead sweat as he tried to keep his voice steady.

"You just did."

He froze. How could he know? _Fuck_. What if he told everyone at school? What if he-

Ness's eyes suddenly came into focus as the car rolled to a stop. They were sitting outside of his house.

He scrambled to open the car door, anxious to get away from-

"Nathaniel."

Something in Lucas's voice made him pause as his fingers white-knuckled the door handle, ready to bolt.

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. And… it's cute."

Ness felt his whole face turn tomato red as his stomach did a cartwheel. He did his best to keep his hand steady as he got out of the car, making his way up to his house on wobbly legs that felt like they might give out at any moment. He could hear Lucas's car stall as he fumbled with his keys, dropping them once before managing to open the door.

Locking the door securely behind him, he didn't relax till he heard the devil blonde's car drive off. Leaning against the door, he allowed his body to slide down the wooden slab till he came to a rest on the carpeted floor.

They had crossed so many boundaries with that one conversation. Lucas now had blackmail on him, as if he hadn't had the upper hand already. He knew where he lived, where he worked. And apparently other, much more personal things, although his still couldn't figure out how he'd revealed the truth without confessing a thing. And he still didn't know why Lucas was doing all this; taking a sudden interest in him.

Worst of all, though, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He felt like a god damn fool, sitting there in the dark grinning like he'd just won the lottery, but only two prominent words seemed to be clear through the thick fog that had engulfed his mind: _It's cute_.

* * *

 **Whoops, looks like Ness and Lucas have a system going on... don't they? Uh-oh, uh-oh indeed. Well, there we are everyone, Chapter 5 is up! I'm happy to be posting these daily, as it seems the scanning is working well, but I'm still missing stuff which is a huge urgh! I'm gonna take a break for a few days from posting these chapters to let new readers and or old readers catch up on the stuff they've missed which can add up to a lot. Thank you for all reading! I love you all, and please review! I want to see if we can try to get to the status this story had before I had to sadly delete it, but the fact people are reading nonetheless makes my heart explode as it is. So, thank you all for that. Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	6. Chapter 6: Resistence and Persistance

**Hey everyone! Paradigm of Writing here with the a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #6: Persistence and Resistance. Probably one of my favorite early chapters in the story, we'll soon by diving into the nitty gritty where we'll get to know the truly importance of each and every character and how their actions will royally screw over everyone else. *looks at Ness with a pointed glare, who shrugs. Lucas grins and elbows his crush in the ribs before being socked in the jaw* I hope those who are rereading are finally starting to remember what world I set up and what we're heading for, as those who can recall, you know shit is about to hit the fan, and when I say it does, you all know, it _does_. Hope you enjoy Chapter 6: Persistence and Resistance! **

* * *

Ness glanced at the clock. Shit. It was 3 a.m. He'd spent the last four hours talking to Nana about the car ride home with Nana.

"So, are you going to actually give him a chance?" her voice rose nearly twenty octaves in one breath, causing him to recoil from the phone with annoyance.

"I dunno…" he mumbled, biting his lip.

"Dude! C'mon! You've spent the last three years gawking at him, and now you're going to push him away?"

Ness sighed. It was so much more complicated then she made it sound. Then again, most things were.

"It's just… it's like he thinks he's already got me wrapped around his finger."

"Well, he kind of does… He constantly talks about you, and you constantly talk about him, so..."

"What! No he doesn't, Nana!" the raven haired boy slammed a hand down on the nightstand next to his bed.

"Ness, you just spent the last four hours talking to me on the phone about him."

Aw, shit. Why did this have to be one of the few times when she was actually right?

"Whatever, Nana… listen, I'm getting really tired. Let's talk tomorrow."

"Alright. Have _cute_ dreams." she teased. Nana couldn't resist.

"Oh, shut up. You know he won't be in my dreams as a guest star. He'll be the main lead." he mumbled, although his tone obviously wasn't serious as he hung up the phone.

Just as Nana had requested, he had _cute_ dreams that night, the type that casted Lucas as the lead. Well, wouldn't he be just thrilled.

* * *

By the time 4th period rolled around on Monday, Ness had gone nearly insane. He'd spent his whole weekend obsessing over his conversation with Lucas

How the hell had he managed to manipulate the situation and get him to divulge one of his biggest secrets while Ness hadn't come out with anything? And what the hell was he trying to do by telling him _it_ was cute?

No. This time the conversation would be different. He would get to the bottom of all this bullshit. He'd even made a list of all the questions he needed answered.

After enduring yet another torturous hour of Lucas's stare burning a hole in the back of his head, Ness bolted over to the jock's desk the second the bell to dismiss class rang.

"Hello, Nathaniel." Lucas said, looking up at Nate with that familiar smirk of his tugging at the corners of his lips.

Damn it. He wouldn't be coming to the blonde like this unless he was desperate. And the jock was all too aware of that fact, judging by the look on his face.

"Don't get too excited. The only reason I'm talking to you is to get answers." Ness shot back, glaring down at him.

"Yes, I know."

"What?"

"I was expecting as much. That's why I told Nana to go ahead and have lunch with her other friends today." he mused, nonchalantly resting his hands behind his head as he leaned back in his seat.

Ness stared at him for a second, dumbfounded, before his features contorted in anger. Damn it. He had expected this, anticipated his reaction. Again.

"Big. _Fucking_. Deal. It's not like anyone in my situation wouldn't have questions!"

"Your situation?" Lucas asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Yes, my situation," the geek sneered, crossing his arms. "Being stalked by some creepy, stuck up asshole. Even if the person thinks he's so conceited and over the top attractive." He had lied about that part, even though his heart felt it deep down, he was just too afraid to boldly state so.

"Ahh." Lucas said, his smirk unfaltering. Standing up, he headed for the door without another word.

"Hey! Wait! Where are you going?" Ness yelled, spinning around. The blonde paused at the door, glancing over his shoulder.

"It's lunch time, isn't it?"

The raven haired boy cursed under his breath, jogging after him as Lucas headed for the cafeteria.

"You know…" the jock mused when Ness finally caught up with him. "Last time I checked, it was the stalker that did the following."

"Whatever." he growled, angered at having to resort to following Lucas.

"So?" The two boys entered the cafeteria, and if anyone were to look over, it'd be quite the spectacle to see a geek and sports prodigy chatting it up like school friends.

"Right." Ness said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. Lucas stopped dead in his tracks.

"You made a list?"

"'Well-" the boy began, turning bright red. "I didn't want to waste another turn."

The smirk tugging at the corners of Lucas's lips won over as he let out a small chuckle.

"I see I've been on your mind a lot."

"What- I-" Ness stuttered, turning even redder as he moved to stuff the note back into his pocket.

"No." Lucas said hurriedly, grabbing Ness's hand before he could put the note away. "Keep it out."

Hesitating for a moment, the geek lowered his hands, though he still had a death grip on the now-crumpled note.

"C'mon." Mr. Blonde said as he began walking again, entering the cafeteria.

Ness followed him over to the left side of the cafeteria, growing stiff as they sat down at the table farthest from the entrance. They had just entered enemy territory, at least as far as he was concerned.

He'd never been allowed in this part of the cafeteria before. Not because of school rules, but because of social standards. This was where all the popular kids sat. And he'd never been popular, or had a friend popular enough to earn a seat in the area.

He could feel the stares of the popular kids on him as he sat across from Lucas. For a few seconds, he expected one of them to jump up and tell him to get lost. That was, of course, before he remembered he was sitting with their prince. That was as good as a V.I.P. pass.

Reaching into his backpack, Lucas slid a soda across the table to Ness before taking one out for himself.

He eyed it resentfully, knowing it was yet another sign that he had anticipated this.

"You're welcome." Lucas said, opening his own before taking a sip.

"Yeah. Whatever." the raven haired boy muttered, opening his own before remembering his reason for being there. Opening his mouth to ask his question, Ness became eerily aware that all of the popular kids had grown eerily silent. They were no doubt eavesdropping to see what their golden boy was doing hanging out with him.

"Isn't there somewhere… more private we can go?"

Lucas tilted his head to the side, leaning forward slightly with a devilish grin on his face. "I don't know if that's exactly appropriate, Nathaniel. Normally I like to get to know my dates before I take them home."

"I'm not your date!" Ness barked, crossing his arms.

"So you'd rather have me as your stalker than your date?" the jock asked, an amused look on his face.

Ness flushed. "No. I'd rather have you as neither!"

"What did I tell you about lying to me Nathaniel."

"Gah! Stop calling me that. And I'm not lying!"

Lucas sighed, resting on his forearms as he stared at his crush from across the table.

"I thought we had gotten past all this."

"Gotten past all what?"

"The denial."

"I'm not in denial."

A secret smile danced across Lucas's lips. "Nathaniel, you should know something. Anything you don't keep to yourself, I will find out. I don't care who you tell: your best friend, your mother, anyone. It's as good as whispering it right in my ear."

Ness felt a shiver run down his spine that had nothing to do with the temperature.

"What are you trying to say?" he asked, crossing his arms and glancing across the table warily. Lucas had him scared as hell and begging for more at the same time.

"I would tell you if we didn't have an audience."

Everyone around them suddenly started chattering, realizing they'd been caught.

Opening his mouth to say something, Lucas paused as his eyes focused in on something behind Ness, or rather someone. Turning around, he could feel his body grow tense as he spotted Red staring the golden guy down like he'd just leveled a gun at his face.

Before either of them could say a word, the bell rang, sending a stampede of students barreling through the cafeteria.

"Wait!" Ness said as Lucas stood up. "You haven't even answered a single one of my questions!"

"Tomorrow, then?" the blonde quipped, a small smile back on his lips.

Oh, _fuck_ it.

"Fine." Ness muttered, sighing as he lost sight of Lucas in the crowd.

Funny how lunch had felt a lot more like a date and less like the interrogation he had planned out in his head. That didn't make Lucas right. Not at all. It just made Ness wrong. Yup. Wrong and knee-high in denial.

Standing up to leave, Ness spun on his heels before running into something and stumbling to the ground. Looking up, he saw Red's bulky frame towering over him.

"I think you're lost," the bully spat, glaring down at him. "Your table's over there."

Ness glared back up at him, brushing himself off. "You-"

He froze as he spotted something white and crumpled in Red's hand. The list.

"Give that back!" Ness yelled, lunging forward. His efforts were futile as Red's hand jetted out, sending him on another tumble to the ground.

"Or what?"

Ness stared at the note, knowing he'd probably royally screwed himself over. And Lucas.

Hell, he might as well have handed over a signed confession.

Yeah. Okay. Maybe he was already pretty much at the bottom of the social food chain, but Lucas wasn't. And for some weird reason, that worried Ness. A lot.

* * *

 **There we are everyone! Chapter 6 of The Raven and the Lion, Persistence and Resistance. Lucas is obviously persisting, Ness wanting to resist so badly it hurts, but he's torn in two in what he should do. It isn't often, especially in real life, where the opposites mix together so perfectly as they haven't found their niche yet, but he still has a part in this no one knows of just yet. Red plays a role in this too, right? He isn't just some arrogant jackass who bullies others, right? Well, I'll let you decide that one on your own or not, see what you want to make of it and whether it not it fits in a crazy theory no one has thought of yet. And now I'm rambling. Rather end it now, heh. Thanks so much for reading! Please review! Let me know what you thought, and I'll catch up with Chapter 7 on Sunday, as I'll be updating every other day from now on. Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	7. Chapter 7: Not So Sweet Stalker

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #7: Not So Sweet Stalker. We've dealt with Lucas being a little too nice to Ness, for Red to then act like a total douche and make it willingly known that Ness needs to stay out of their way. Perhaps the two boys are doing some underhanded things, hmm? Anyways, time to meet the fifth and final character in the story that is a main besides the other ones who'll just appear for no reason. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Ness paced back and forth behind the serving counter of Mac's diner, biting his lip anxiously.

 _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

What had he done? This was so not good. Lucas had blackmail on him. Red had blackmail on both him and Lucas. And he had… nothing. Either way you looked at it, the odds were stacked against him. At least with the blonde he had promised not to tell his secret, although at this point he really wasn't sure how good his word was.

With Red, though, he was royally screwed. He had no reason not to photocopy that note and post it on every wall of the school, except maybe for Lucas's sake. Then again, judging from the look they'd exchanged earlier at lunch, they weren't on the best of terms.

"Ness, table 5!" Mac barked, obviously annoyed by the boy's incessant pacing.

The waiter grumbled under his breath, not in the mood to play obedient waiter as he spun on his heels and-

Shit.

Sitting there with three of his jock friends was none other than the source of his current torment, Red. His eyes were locked on Ness's, a sadistic smile on his face that told him his day was just about to get a whole lot worse.

He could feel his whole body tense up as he cursed under his breath, slowly walking over to the table. He wouldn't even be able to defend himself, not if he wanted to keep his job.

"Hello," he mumbled, forcing a pained smile onto his face. "How may I take your order?"

The bully chuckled, nudging his friend sitting to his right as the four boys stared up at him like he was some type of circus freak.

"I dunno. Will you be making it, cause I don't want some fag getting their mental defect all over my food. I've heard it's contagious." Red snickered, his friends following suit as the table erupted in cackles.

Ness's grip tightened on the notepad and pencil in his hand, turning his knuckles white. He kept his teeth clenched together, not daring to open his mouth for fear he might say something that would put his job in jeopardy.

"Actually…" Red began, his mouth forming a toothy, uneven smile. "I think you might have given it to one of my friends. Lucas."

 _Crack._

Ness looked down. He'd snapped the pencil he'd been holding in half.

"Listen…" Red said, leaning in close so that only the people at the table would be able to hear what he was saying. "Let's reach a little understanding, Nathaniel. That's what he calls you, right?"

At that moment, Ness wanted to jump across the table and strangle the idiot till his lips turned blue and that repulsive little smirk off his turned into a shriek. He'd never wanted to punch someone so bad before in his life. He wasn't sure what had set him off about the last comment. He felt violated, somehow. Almost like Red had tarnished something important, which was stupid.

He didn't even like his full name. He'd begged Lucas not to call him it. Yet here he was, feeling like something valuable and sacred had been taken from him.

"No." Ness growled, his voice hushed as well.

"That's funny…" Red said, pulling something out of his pocket. "Because right here it says…"

Crap. He had the note.

"Fine," Ness blurted out before he could continue. "Yeah, he calls me that. So what?"

"So," Red drawled, that sadistic smile of his face growing even wider. "It seems to me that the two of you are getting a little too close. Lucas was never like this before. He dated girls. Lots of 'em. He didn't even talk to dirty cock suckers like you." the bully added, a look of repulsion drawing his features taunt.

"We don't like our friend talking to fags. So fuck off. Leave him alone. Don't talk to him. Give him the brush off. Whatever. If we see you talking to him again, this little note of yours is going to be in the school newspaper, posted on every door, and all over the internet."

Ness's jaw tightened. A mixture of relief and dread pulsed through him. If they were blackmailing him, that meant they hadn't shown anyone else. But that also meant he would have to do what they were asking.

He wasn't all too worried about his reputation. Really. It was already pretty much shit. But with Lucas, hell, everybody held him up on some type of pedestal. He didn't condone it, he didn't even understand it. But he didn't want to ruin things for him.

Funny, he had tried his best to make Lucas hate him. Been rude, given him the brush off, insulted him. Now that he was in the perfect position to have the blonde jock hate him forever, that was the last thing he wanted.

"Fine…" Ness agreed, speaking through clenched teeth as he glared down at Red.

"I thought you'd see it my way." the bully said, smirking as he got up and knocking the menu's on the table to the floor.

Ness cursed under his breath, leaning down to pick up the menu's. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his right hand. Trying to jerk away, he realized why his fingers felt like they were snapping in half. Some 200 lb moron was standing on them, pushing his heel down as hard as he could.

"Ahh!" Ness cursed out, trying to push Red off with his free hand. It was like trying to move a mountain.

The boy stayed put, looking down at the waiter.

"You feel that? That's only a taste of what you'll be feeling if you decide to get all gutsy again and act out."

Finally, Red stepped off of him. Ness lunged back, cradling his hand. His index finger had to be broken. And maybe his pinky.

"Do we have a problem here?"

He looked up to see Shulk's tall frame towering over him. He'd shaved off his dirty blonde hair since he'd last seen him, now sporting some type of military buzz cut. He stood a good three inches taller than Red, and had at least ten years on him.

"Uh-" Red stuttered, confusion plastered across his face as he looked from Shulk to Ness. "Is this your little brother or something?"

The new arrival let out a small laugh as he helped Ness to his feet. "No, he's my friend. And believe me when I tell you that I don't just sit by and watch while my friends get bullied around by some punks. This is assault. Next time I see you guys around here, I'm calling the cops."

Red and his friends shot Shulk a defiant glare, but made their way towards the door.

"You alright?" he asked, doing a once over on Ness with his eyes.

"Yeah." he muttered, still cradling his hand.

"Here, let me take a look." Shulk said, taking a step forward and reaching for Ness's hand. He carefully felt his way down each of his friends fingers on the hand that had been crushed.

"Yup. You've got a couple broken fingers."

Ness cursed to himself. And why did it have to be on his right hand? Now he was going to have writing the next few weeks that looked like a kindergartener's thanks to Red.

"Thanks for the help." he muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"No problem," Shulk said, his eyes resting on Ness's face for a moment. "Do you know those guys from school or something?"

"Yeah…" the raven haired boy muttered, staring after Red through the glass windows of the restaurant as him and his friends got into their cars and drove off.

"What was all this about?" the blonde asked, following Ness's gaze.

"Nothing…" the waiter muttered, not wanting to get into details. He knew Shulk had a thing for him, not that it would ever go anywhere. He was eleven years older than Ness. And, although he was a nice guy, he was maybe a little too nice for his taste.

Then again, maybe a nice guy was exactly what he needed.

Shulk nodded, obviously understanding Ness didn't want to talk about it.

"Why've you been gone for so long?" he asked, wanting to change the subject.

"You noticed." the blonde said, a broad smile stretching across his face.

"Of course I did. You're my best customer."

Shulk laughed, moving a little closer to Ness. "Yeah, things have been crazy for me. I got a job in construction. "

Ness raised an eyebrow. "Construction? Nice. You get to watch sweaty guys with muscles walk around all day."

Shulk let out a small laugh. "Yeah, I guess. The funny thing is, though, I always end up thinking about you."

The younger boy flushed, looking down at his hand.

"I guess I should probably go to the hospital and get this taken care of."

"I can take you." Shulk offered, digging into his pocket and fishing for his car keys.

"No, that's alright," Ness insisted, glancing at his watch. "My friend Nana is actually supposed to be picking me up soon."

"Oh. Okay then," the blonde said, a slightly disappointed look spreading across his face. "Well, I'll probably drop by again sometime Saturday."

"Alright. Cool. I'll count on it." Ness said, giving him a small smile before waving goodbye.

Okay, so maybe he'd lied a little. Nana wasn't going to pick him up. He had plans to take the bus home. It was just that, for some reason, being around Shulk felt a lot more awkward all of a sudden. It never had been before, but it sure as hell was now. Perhaps something had changed. Or, more accurately, someone had changed things for him.

* * *

 **There we are guys! What's your opinion on Shulk? Least he seems good enough as it is to defend Ness from all the asshole bullies. Don't worry, Red will be like this for awhile, but he will change around soon enough, hopefully right? Hard to believe Lucas isn't in this chapter but things happen right, he got tired of stalking and instead one blonde switched to another for Shulk. Ness is in quite the pickle- maybe Nana could get all awesome and learn how to fly! Well... okay, not a fat chance in hell of that happening. What's next for Ness, Lucas, Red, Shulk, and Nana? Find out on Tuesday when I post Chapter #8. I love you all! Please review! Have an amazing day! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	8. Chapter 8: Wake Up, Smell the Roses

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with Chapter 8 of The Raven and the Lion, Wake Up, Smell the Roses. It's time we dive into the humorous parts of this story as for awhile, these things will become... edgy and drama filled should I say. *looking at Shulk and Red who shrug helplessly* I love chapters where you just sit there and read something light filled such as this one. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ness inhaled deeply, savoring the lavender scent of his pillow. He'd made it. Somehow, he'd managed to get through the whole week without speaking to Lucas. It had been exhausting, nerve-racking, and oddly difficult, but he'd managed.

Alright, so maybe he should be spending his Friday afternoon out partying like most high school kids his age, or at least doing something relatively social, but there was only one thing on his mind. Sleep. And no one, not even Nana, was going to be enough to drag him out of bed.

* * *

The next morning, he woke up around noon, as was usual for him on the weekends. Thank god it was Saturday. That meant a whole day of nothing but stuffing his face and hibernating on the couch… before work, of course.

Stumbling to his feet, Ness headed down the stairs, eager to begin the 'stuffing his face' part. Almost tripping on his pink piggy slippers, he stumbled around the corner and -

"And this is when little Nathaniel was two. He never was one much for wearing clothes."

He froze. This had to be a nightmare.

Sitting in his living room hunched over some old photo albums were Lucas and his mother, chatting it up like old friends.

Oh, and to top things off, he was in his boxers. Just his boxers. Thank god they weren't the ones his mom had bought him for Valentine's Day with little pink hearts on them.

Nope. He already had enough pink in his piggy slippers alone to rule out labeling him anything other than a sissy for the next five years.

Glancing up, Lucas cleared his throat, flashing Ness a crooked smirk.

"Well, look who's up."

The raven haired boy ducked behind the curtains, covering his bare chest and as much of the rest of him as he could.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed, glancing from Lucas to his mother accusingly.

"Don't you remember, Nathaniel? We arranged for a tutoring session today. Your mother's not very pleased with your D in math." Lucas mused, obviously having a hard time hiding the amusement he was getting out of Ness's horror.

Damn it. He knew that D would come back to bite him in the ass somehow. He was half tempted to tell Lucas he was almost failing math because the hole he was burning in the back of his head with that god damn stare of his made it hard to concentrate, but then his mother would ask questions. And that was the only thing that could make the situation worse.

"Uhh..." Shit. What the hell could he do but go along. "Righhhht… just let me get dressed…"

"You know, Nathaniel, it's not very nice to keep your guests waiting. Especially when the school's been so kind to offer you a tutor for free." His mother chided, pointing a bony finger in his direction.

"How long has he been here? You could've at least let me know," Ness asked, eyeing the photo album warily. "And put those away! I'm sure he's not interested in seeing lame baby pictures."

"Quite the contrary," Lucas said, tilting his head to the side with a small smirk. "Your mother's been wonderful company for the past three hours."

Holy shit. The blonde jock from heaven had been here. In his house. With his mother. For the past three hours!

"Three hours! Why didn't anyone come and wake me?"

"I was going to," Lucas mused, "But you looked so peaceful sleeping."

Ness flinched. He'd been in his bedroom. With him. Alone. While he was half naked.

Damn it. What the hell was he going to use to cover himself between the living room and the bedroom?

"Ness, honey. Come out from behind the curtain. It's not as if you haven't seen each other naked in the locker rooms before." His mother prodded, obviously noticing her son's odd behavior.

"Mom!" he hissed, turning five shades of red- crimson, scarlet, cardinal, brick, and lava all at one time.

It would be different if it was a girl, or even a guy he wasn't attracted to, but Lucas was a whole different story.

"Yes, Nathaniel, come out from behind the curtain." the blonde repeated in that cool and collected tone of his.

God damn pervert. Ness would have been totally creeped out if he wasn't already busy being flattered in some sick, twisted way that Lucas wanted to see him half naked.

"Just give me a blanket!" he demanded, refusing to step out from behind the curtain.

"Very well…" the jock said, getting up from the couch and handing him one of the blankets draped on its backside.

He didn't let go, though. He held it in his grasp for a second, shooting Ness a devilish grin before letting go.

He hurriedly draped the blanket over himself, rushing back to his bedroom to get dressed. He didn't want his mother and Lucas having any more _quality time_. God, what could they have possibly talked about for the past three hours? He could barely make small talk with his own mother for ten minutes.

No doubt his mother had reminisced about his most embarrassing childhood moments with him. Just what he needed. More blackmail for Lucas to use against him.

Oh crap. What if Lucas had told his mother about him being gay? Okay, so maybe he hadn't told her the truth. He was waiting for the right time to tell her… which would probably be in another fifty years when she was good and dead.

Doing his best to cover himself, Ness stumbled back up to his room, getting ready as fast as he could.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Ness closed the door to his front house securely behind him.

"What the _fuck_ is wrong with you? Are you crazy," he hissed in a hushed tone, glaring at Lucas. "You can't just do stuff like this! People have privacy, and-and boundaries that other people just shouldn't cross. And you just crossed a _fucking_ huge ass boundary!"

Lucas glanced over at him amusedly, unfazed by his outburst. "Cause and effect, Nathaniel."

"That's all you have to say? The coward's way out," Ness could barely control himself as he continued yelling at the jock. "Are you telling me this is my fault? It's not! I didn't give you a key to my house and tell you to come and intrude and lie to my mother!"

The blonde tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "I don't believe you're in any position to preach to me about lying to your mother."

"What?" Ness asked, too angry to think clearly.

"You haven't told her you're gay."

The smaller boy swallowed hard, his rage quickly replaced by fear. "Did you tell her?"

"No."

Thank god he'd decided to keep that little piece of information to himself, though he couldn't imagine why. He seemed to get off on seeing him squirm, and revealing the truth to his mother would do exactly that.

"Well, let's keep it that way," Ness growled, crossing his arms. "Why are you here anyways?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow at his crush, as if to imply to say 'is answering that really necessary'? He answered anyways, beginning to move forward towards his red corvette parked outside Ness's house.

"You've recently become quite a busy person, with all the sneaking around you've been doing."

"I haven't been sneaking around."

"And what exactly would you call it then?"

"I've just had other priorities to attend to."

Lucas let out a slight sigh, as if he'd been expecting this reaction from Ness. "Nathaniel, I know you've been avoiding me. Understand something. We have long passed the point where something as petty as this will make any substantial difference. You are only prolonging the inevitable."

Ness rolled his eyes. "There's no _we_. There's _me_ , and _you_ , and that's it."

"Alright. So why have _you_ been avoiding _me_?" he asked, deciding to humor him, at least for the time being.

"I don't like you. How much more clear can I make that? You're annoying, obnoxious, conceited, and pushy."

"Indeed," Lucas agreed, a crooked smile playing across his face. "You know what they say, opposites attract."

"Yeah, well not always." Ness scowled, realizing he'd followed him to his car. Crap.

"Get in." the jock said, walking around his car to the driver's side.

"Yeah right. What the hell makes you think I'm going to spend my Saturday with you?"

Lucas flashed him a small smirk. "The fact that, if I wanted to, I could tell your mother I'm not your tutor. I'm this guy that you kissed at a high school party you went to."

"I didn't know it was you! And I was not the one who did the kissing. I pushed you away!"

The blonde chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe so, but you definitely enjoyed it."

A hot flush crept onto Ness's face. "That's only because I didn't know it was you!" Crap. That had so not come out the way he wanted it to.

Lucas shrugged, unlocking his car and getting in. "You still would've gotten hot if you'd known."

"No, I wouldn't have!" Ness shot back, hesitating as Lucas leaned over and opened the passenger door for him.

"We could always find out."

The boy's face turned tomato red. "I don't even want to talk to you, let alone kiss you."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Again with the denial? Tis a shame," Looking past Ness for a second, Lucas cleared his throat slightly. "I suggest you get in. Your mother's looking out the window. I told her we were going to the library, but if we sit here much longer I think she'll probably start to get suspicious."

Ness let out a frustrated huff before joining Lucas in the car. Leaning back in his seat, he crossed his arms, staring straight ahead. "Fine. Whatever. Don't expect me to have fun. I'm already mad at you for wasting half of my weekend by making me hang out with you."

Not to mention the fact that by blackmailing him, he was putting his little deal with Red in jeopardy, not that he knew that. Ness didn't intend on telling him either. That would only complicate things more.

"Nathaniel, what happened to your hand?" Lucas asked, concern marring his features as he glanced over at Ness's two bandaged fingers.

Ness paused for a second, surprised by how worried Lucas seemed. Then again, he was a good liar, which also meant he was probably a good actor.

"Please, don't act like you really give a crap."

Lucas's features hardened slightly, his mouth twitching. "Make no mistake, Nathaniel, I do not pretend to concern myself with matters I am not genuinely invested in. I have nothing to gain by putting up false pretenses about your well-being."

Ness blinked twice. Wow, he almost sounded honest. How could he be though?

"I don't really care, Lucas. Can we just go already?"

"No. Not until you tell me what happened."

Gah. He was so annoyingly persistent. "I accidentally slammed my hand in a door, alright."

The blonde didn't look like he believed him, not even for a second. "Is that so?"

"Yes. It is."

He hesitated for a second before starting the car. "Fine. You don't have to tell me, but I want to take a look at it before the day ends."

Ness snorted in response. "What are you, my mother?"

Lucas let out a small chuckle, though he still seemed a bit troubled. "She will want some proof of us having studied, you know."

The raven haired boy wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, well, I sure as hell hope we're not actually going to the library to study math. I have a D, that's passing. I'm doing fine in the rest of my classes, so one bad grade shouldn't matter."

"We will have to take care of that, though."

"Huh?"

"Your grade. I can't have you failing math."

"And why the hell not? My grade is none of your freakin' business."

"You'd be surprised…" Lucas mused, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

Ness didn't like the sound of that. "So what exactly are you trying to say?"

"That we'll have to meet up during lunches for tutoring sessions. Forty five minutes a day should be enough time, don't you think?"

Ness almost choked. "I am not spending my lunches with you!"

"Then we'll have to hang out outside of school."

"Are you even good at math?"

"I have a 98% in the class."

Gah. He was popular and smart. Wasn't there some law of nature that he was defying here? You were supposed to be either one or the other. Not both. Then again, Ness was neither, so he supposed it was possible for the opposite to happen.

Well… he really did need help in math. And if it was only forty five minutes a day, it wouldn't completely kill him.

"Fine, but only on the days I don't have work."

Gah. He'd just committed himself to actually spending time with Lucas… every week. Well, it wasn't as if the jock wouldn't have found out a way to do so anyways.

"Any guesses as to where were going?" Lucas asked, grinning as he glanced over at Ness.

The raven haired boy let out a small sigh. The hell if he knew. With Lucas, he couldn't even predict how the next five minutes would go, let alone a whole day. Yes, this day would definitely prove to be interesting. Whether that was good or bad was yet to be seen.

* * *

 **There we are you guys! Chapter 8: Wake Up, Smell the Roses! I'm super excited to continue updating this story, and we should see the next update at around Thursday afternoon, as I'll be doing an update every two days. Thanks for reading this chapter and please review! I love you all so much! Who's your favorite character so far? I'm pretty sure it's a tie between Lucas and Ness, am I right? Hopefully I can cause your thoughts to sway eventually. Thanks again! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	9. Chapter 9: Mr Enigma Richards

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with Chapter #9 of The Raven and the Lion: Mr. Enigma Richards. I'm suffering from some really weird illness right now where I feel good sometimes, then absolute awful crap with a fever, congestion, the worst sore throat I've ever had etc... so whatever it is, I hope it gets out of my system really soon as I cannot deal with this. And tada! I've brought something back! I call them... review replies! I'm doing them in the closing AN's starting with this chapter, so if you care to see my response, gladly scroll. Thanks for being there all the time you guys, and enjoy!**

* * *

Thirty minutes later, the red corvette pulled into...a vacant parking lot? What the hell?

"Is this your idea of a joke?" Ness asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked around. There were a few other cars in the parking lot, but that was pretty much it. The only buildings in the area were abandoned, either run-down houses or failed businesses.

"Not at all." Lucas responded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"So, you came to my house at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning to drive me out to an empty parking lot?" the raven haired boy asked in disbelief.

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose you could say that." the blonde mused, rolling down the windows of the car before killing the engine. Reaching into the back seat, he retrieved a small bag, shuffling through it for a few seconds before pulling out two sodas. He handed one to his crush, who was still staring at him like he was crazy.

"Gah. The library would have been more fun." Ness mumbled, snatching the soda from Lucas.

"You know, Nathaniel, you really shouldn't jump to conclusions like that."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not jumping to conclusions. This is simple- straightforward. There's nothing to it."

"Like me?"

Ness tensed, before feeling a hot flush spread across his face. Alright, so Lucas wasn't totally oblivious to how he viewed him… well, mostly anyways.

"I- that's not what I said."

"You didn't need to say it. The most important things are those left unsaid."

The geek tried to shake the guilty feeling that seemed to be clawing at his ribcage. "I didn't mean to- I mean-"

"It's alright," Lucas said, a small smile spreading across his face as he took another sip of his soda. "I understand. It's easy to take things, and people, for face value. Safer. You don't have to get to know them, to explore the fact that people aren't just two dimensional."

Wow. Crap. He was actually making a lot of sense. Which unfortunately meant he was making things just a little too clear for Ness's liking. Alright, so maybe he had stereotyped Lucas a little… okay, a lot. But that didn't change a lot of the things Ness knew about the jock that he didn't like. He was still… well, he was extremely confident, and self assured, but that wasn't always a bad thing.

Hell, it kind of compensated for Ness's lack of confidence. Begrudgingly, he admitted to himself that if he dated someone like himself, it would probably go nowhere. They'd both be too shy to act on their emotions. Maybe… just maybe, he needed someone like Lucas. Not the blonde himself, of course, but someone _like_ him. Someone confident who'd take the lead and put up with his moodiness when need be. Someone who was attractive but only seemed to notice him despite everyone else pawning for their attention. Someone who- gah. What was he doing?

"Alright. So maybe I was a little unfair, but there's still a lot about you that I don't like."

"Really? I'm _excited_ to hear more," Lucas asked, an amused smile spreading across his face. "Do tell."

Ness blinked twice. Huh? He wanted to know specifics. Crap.

"Well, you're cocky as hell."

"Confident." the blonde corrected.

"Whatever you want to call it. And you look down on people-"

"That's your perception, Nathaniel. You have no idea what I'm thinking."

"No shit. How the hell would I know what you're thinking?"

"You could ask."

Ness raised an eyebrow, highly doubtful he'd get an honest answer out of Lucas. "Alright. Fine. What are you thinking now?"

A secret smile crept across the older boy's face. "About how cute you looked this morning when you woke up with your hair all messy. You should wear it like that, you know."

The raven haired boy's face exploded in a sea of crimson hues. Why did he have to say stuff like that; stuff that was just cute enough to make him blush but not too mushy to be totally lame.

"You shouldn't say stuff like that." Ness mumbled, glancing out the window at the empty parking lock so he wouldn't have to look at his crush.

"And why not?" Lucas asked, his voice implying he had no intention of doing so, but was curious as to the logic behind Ness's request anyways.

"Because. It makes me feel awkward."

The jock let out a small laugh. "You know what they say. Seventy percent of communication is body language."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" the geek retorted, stealing a wary glance at the blonde.

Lucas raised an eyebrow at him, sending a slight shiver down Ness's spine. "That the creeping violet blush you get every time I talk to you tells me more than anything you say probably ever will."

Ness swallowed hard. "Yeah, well, I don't know where you read that, but it sounds like a bunch of bullshit."

Lucas let out a small sigh, waiting till the younger boy's eyes were on him to speak again.

"Nathaniel, why is it so hard for you to admit that you like me?"

"Because I don't." Ness shot back, annoyance filling his voice.

"Really now? Because Nana seems to believe otherwise."

God damn her! She was going to be the death of him, no doubt.

"Yeah, well, she runs her mouth a lot."

"Yes, she does talk quite a bit. However, I've never once known her to tell a lie. And she is your best friend, after all. I'm sure she knows you as well if not better than you know yourself."

Ness fidgeted in his seat. Crap. Lucas had him backed into a corner.

"So. Freakin. What. You want to hear me say I like you? Is that what you want to hear? For me to be some _fucking_ idiot? Not happening."

Lucas tilted his head to the side, a thoughtful look spreading across his face.

"No, Nathaniel."

"Then what the hell do you want?"

"You."

Ness almost choked on the soda he was drinking. So much for being tactful.

"Nathaniel, I have spent the last month trying to get to know you, despite your sincerest efforts to prevent it from happening. I have always made my intentions quite obvious to you."

"No, you haven't."

"How?"

The raven haired boy could feel the frustration that had been welling up inside of him explode. "Because! It doesn't make sense! It doesn't make sense that you, an all-star football player, straight A student, prince of the school is all of a sudden taking a huge fucking interest in me! I'm not popular! I don't have good grades! I don't have money, or status! So what the hell are you doing here, with me, when you could have any guy, or girl, you want?"

Lucas's features softened, as he started at Ness with an odd look in his eyes. "You should not sell yourself short, Nathaniel. Not everything is meant to be understood, broken down, and analyzed. You may not understand the reasons yourself, but I like you. That's all that should matter."

"Well it doesn't."

The blonde averted his gaze from Ness's for a second, a pensive look spreading across his face before he made eye contact with him again. His voice was unusually serious as he spoke, lacking the witty sarcasm the geek had come to expect from him.

"You know what I think? I think you're scared."

"Yes. Of course. That must be why I dislike you. Because I'm scared of you." Ness scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Not me," the blonde corrected. "You're scared of the fact that you actually do like me. You're scared of the possibility that we could become something if you stopped pushing me away. Most of all, though, you're scared of the fact that that might just be what you want."

Ness's jaw tightened as he ground his teeth together, staring at Lucas with an odd mixture of resentment and… gratitude?

Lucas had actually taken the time to try and understand him, figure him out, despite the fact that Ness had done nothing but push him away and insult him. He had nothing to gain from it, no personal motive to fulfill by understanding why he treated him the way he did unless… unless he actually liked him.

The geek still found the thought completely unfathomable. He could still feel the ever-persistent question of 'why' racking his brain for answers it didn't have. Maybe though… just maybe he could wait for an answer to that question and actually try and enjoy himself instead of brooding.

Ness cleared his throat. "Don't expect me to tell you you're right, because I'm not going to. But… thanks."

Then something happened that almost made it all worth it. Lucas smiled, not one of his crooked smiles, or small, restrained smiles, but an all-out, genuine smile. He realized that in all the time he'd known the blonde, including the last three years of high school, he'd never seen him smile like that, not even when he was with his friends.

"I knew it…"

Before Ness could proceed to ask Lucas what exactly he meant by that, Mr. Enigma Blonde Jock Richards cut him off.

"Now that we've had that little chat," he said, starting up the car again, "We have somewhere we need to be by two this afternoon."

"Huh?" Ness asked, completely confused. "You planned all this out?" He could feel himself getting angry again, but made an effort to stop himself from resenting how easily Lucas seemed to be able to read and manipulate him.

"Not so much planned as anticipated," Lucas said, that small smirk of his coming back as he pulled out of the parking lot. "Don't you remember what I told you, Nathaniel? There's only so much a person can talk about before letting a secret or two slip."

Ness had a momentary flashback to their little chat back in the diner.

"You know, eventually I'm going to catch on to your little mind games." he said, still slightly frustrated at himself for being such an open book.

"Perhaps," Lucas mused, glancing over at the raven haired boy for a second, "But by then, I won't have to resort to mind games."

"And why's that?" Ness asked, glancing at him suspiciously.

"Because," Lucas stated simply, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "You'll want to tell me all your secrets and desires."

Ness felt an odd sense of anticipation settle in the pit of his stomach. For once, he could acknowledge, although still not completely accept, that he was genuinely excited about whatever Lucas had planned. He was excited about the fact that the jock seemed to have taken such an intense interest in him. And best of all, he was excited about the fact that, thus far, everything that the blonde had said seemed to have come true, which meant this just might be the beginning of something he'd always secretly yearned for.

* * *

 **Wow, right? We are seeing some sparks fly my dear friends with our little Lucas and Nessie. Yes, I'll stop calling the raven haired geek that. Time for review replies! I don't do this with every story of mine, only certain ones, so you know what, I'm back at the gander and we'll try everything again!**

 **crabbyTomato- Hello new face! And wow, a long review! My favorite! Yeah, I've had this reverse role of Lucas and Ness for a very long time, and Cross Examined as you know stretched it out to where Lucas had just as much courage if not more than Ness and really drove the piece. Then again, I was thirteen when I wrote the entire story, and for some reason CE had been updated twice without me doing anything to it (site glitch, perhaps?). And this story has less written chapters than Cross Examined, but at least an extra 40k of words for the piece so it is much longer. Just wait for long enough. And don't you worry, we'll learn of Mr. Lucas Richards soon enough. Also, a reminder that I really need to write Dark Abyss, that sequel that has never come. Too busy I suppose. Perhaps the 2017 season can bring it out?**

 **Ender2142- I've been seeing you pop in and out! Hi! Hey, it's okay, just breath. I don't know how you'll manage to live with the squealing in later chapters. *cough #29-32 cough* Ness has always played second fiddle to Lucas, though he is the main character of my Smash stories, I've always written the blonde a tad bit more superior. If you want to see a rather fragmented act of theirs, read the one-shot Oasis by me, I'll bet you'll love it. Lucas is quite the character, eh? Keep up the brain racking. And, hey, don't be ashamed that you're a guy who fangirls. Look at me and my boyfriend for goodness sake, who is the reply beneath you. ;)**

 **AuPalladium- *hugs, kissing on the nose* Hey honey! God, I've missed talking to you. Suffering from lord knows what the hell it is, hopefully I can be better and be back to chipper ole Paradigm. The waiting game sucks, right? Sorry darling, gotta wait every other day for an update, so the 6th, 8th, 10th etc... Also, don't you remember this plot? I did have this story up for a long time, it's how we met. (True story guys! It's really how we met). This story is probably one of my favorites ever just because of who it let me run into. I love you, and hope to talk to you soon whether it be here on the site or texting during daylight hours, lol.**

 **That's the chapter guys! Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading and I'll see you Saturday for a new update! See you on the flipside. Bye!**


	10. Chapter 10: Canary and the Viper

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with Chapter 10 of The Raven and the Lion, Canary and the Viper, perhaps another infamous animal pair that is truly insignificant which will make since working towards a couple that'll be birthed into life eventually in the story later on. Yeah... my words make zero sense, I understand. Last chapter, we got to see that Lucas and Ness can bond! How gorgeous is that? Eh, not so gorgeous lol, least not yet. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"No... is it extremely pressing… yes… well I have plans at two… are you sure… alright."

Lucas hung up the cellular he'd been propping up against his ear while driving, his lips drawn into a thin line of discontent.

"I apologize, Nathaniel, but it seems something has come up. We will have to postpone our date till later."

Ness's eyes narrowed. "This was-is- not a date."

Alright. So maybe he wouldn't have minded _all_ that much if it had been, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let the blonde think he could win him over with a few fancy words.

"Indeed, because if it had been your mouth would be busy doing much more interesting things than spewing lies that you yourself don't even believe." Lucas responded, a suggestive smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

The raven haired boy felt a hot flush spread across his face at the jock's words. He would have come up with some witty retort if his mind wasn't already busy indulging in the little fantasy Lucas's words had planted in his head.

"I wouldn't be so confident if I were you." Ness managed to mumble, trying to sound as repulsed as he could manage by Lucas's words.

"And why's that?"

"Because, I'm not like all the little whore girlfriends you've had over the years."

"I wasn't aware you were so knowledgeable about my dating history." the blonde mused, an amused look spreading across his face.

"I'm not- I just-" Crap.

"And what exactly makes you think I did anything with any of those girls? Any proof, dear geek," Lucas asked, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he glanced over at Ness. "Ever presumptuous as always, aren't we?"

Ness could feel his face growing hotter and hotter until he was sure it was going to explode.

"Well, Nathaniel, rest your mind at ease. I didn't fool around with any of my past girlfriends."

"And what makes you think I even care?" the geek scowled.

A secret smile crept onto Lucas's face. "I've seen the way you'd watch me when I was with them. You're quite cute when you're jealous, you know."

If it was possible to die from emarassment, Ness was sure he would have.

"And did it ever occur to you that maybe I was staring at the girls you were with?" Crap. Even he felt ridiculous trying to pass off that as the truth.

Apparently Lucas agreed as he let a small chuckle escape his lips. "No. You see, unlike all the other people you surround yourself with, I've always known you had a thing for broad shoulders and muscular arms."

Ness snorted, rolling his eyes. "Alright, so you picked up on the fact that I like guys. That doesn't mean I like those things. What makes you think those are my turn-ons?"

The smirk on the blonde's face widened. "Because, that's always where your eyes end up when you're watching me."

Crap. Crap. Crap. He really needed to get out of this car. Well, at least he wouldn't be lying by contradicting Lucas.

"You're wrong," Ness snapped, trying to sound as confident as he could after just being called out. "That's not where my eyes end up." Shit. That had _so_ not come out how he meant it to. He should have said he hadn't been watching Lucas for the past three years at all.

Well, too late for that. Taking a deep breath, he finished his thought as the jock pulled up in front of his house. "It's your eyes. That's what always makes me forget that I'm wasting my time crushing on some stuck up pretty boy."

Ness tried to force his body out of the car, force it to oblige to his mind's incessant urge to run from the one thing it knew it wanted most. Something, though, something stronger than all the stereotypes and insecurities he used as excuses to push Lucas away made him stay.

"Did you ever think, Nathaniel, that maybe what you're seeing in my eyes isn't the lie you believe it to be, but the truth that keeps you watching me despite everything you think you know?"

The raven haired boy bit down on his lip. Hard. God, why couldn't Lucas be the stereotypical pretty boy that was amazing to look at but dumb as hell? It would make things simpler, so much simpler.

Then again, if that were the case, he probably never would have developed such an unhealthy crush on him in the first place.

Finally, Ness's body seemed to have regained some of its functions as he forced himself out of the car and up the walkway.

This was bad. Really bad. It had been hard enough pushing Lucas away when he'd just been some hot guy he'd had a crush on for three years that suddenly had taken an interest in him. Now, though, he was more than just a face, though admittedly a handsome one. And, unfortunately, he was turning out not to be the asshole Ness had always assumed he was. In fact, he was far from it. Which was only making things worse.

He wasn't sure how he was going to handle the whole Red ordeal by the time Monday rolled around. And he wasn't sure what exactly he was going to tell his mom to cover his tracks as to why their supposed study session had only lasted an hour and ten minutes, travel time included. He knew one thing, though. Something had happened between him and Lucas today that would make his little 'I don't like you' routine a hell of a lot harder.

* * *

Ness looked at himself in the mirror for the umpteenth time, resisting the urge to comb his hair back into the usual style he wore it in. Lucas liked it messy.

Today was his first study date-session, with the blonde. He hadn't been able to talk to him all week in between studying for finals, working overtime, and appeasing Nana's insatiable need for someone to listen while she gossiped except to confirm this little get together. That turned out to be quite a good thing, actually.

No talking meant no problems from Red… of course, that was up until today. There was no way he wasn't going to find out about this, and sooner or later Ness was going to have to face the music.

He'd been looking forward to this day all week, though he'd never admit it out loud, and surprisingly he found himself wishing the school day would fly by for reasons other than because it was Friday and that would mean the weekend had come.

As expected, the day dragged on, math being particularly torturous because he'd had to run out of there, just as he had every other day of the week, to avoid talking to Lucas while Red was there.

Finally, though, the final bell rang and Ness made his way down to the coffee shop they'd agreed to meet at. It was only a few blocks away, so it was quite convenient.

Taking a seat at an empty table, he waited for Lucas to arrive impatiently, dragging his school supplies out of his backpack and spreading them across the table.

He was five minutes late… maybe he wasn't going to show up. Anxiously, Ness got up and made his way over to the front counter.

"One caramel frappucino please." he mumbled anxiously.

Digging into his pocket, he was just about to pull out his wallet as a hand reached over him and handed the woman ten bucks.

"You know, you should really wait till your date arrives to start ordering." Lucas mused.

"Well, maybe that would be true if this were a date!" Ness snapped, trying to stop the lady at the front counter from taking his crush's money. Too late. "You're late anyways. If this _were_ a date, that would be a foul on your part."

Lucas glanced at the clock in the coffee shop before pulling out his cell phone. "That clocks five minutes fast."

Ness pulled out his cell phone and checked the time. Sure enough, it was 3:30. The precise time they had agreed to meet.

"Well, whatever. It's not a date. So it doesn't matter anyways."

Lucas ordered a Caramel Macchiato Espresso for himself before handing Ness his drink and walking back to the table with him.

"So, aside from the obvious denial your still in, I can't help but notice you've been avoiding me… yet again. You should really be more tactful about such things if you expect me not to ask you about them."

Ness snorted in protest. "Yeah, because you're so tactful all the time."

The blonde let out a small chuckle before taking a sip of his coffee. "Indeed, but there's no point in me being tactful. One of us needs to be honest and cross the line. If I bothered with concerning myself with being tactful, I assure you, neither one of us would be sitting here right now."

The raven haired boy took a sip of his own coffee in response, hating the fact that his crush was probably right.

"But, seeing as you have carefully sidestepped my initial question, I will ask you again. Why have you been avoiding me?"

Ness bit down on his lip. He didn't want to lie to Lucas. He really didn't. But it was the only way this was going to turn out half-decent.

"I lost the note… and I was afraid to tell you, because someone else could have gotten hold of it… and then… well, everyone would know."

"Know what?" Lucas asked, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

Ness glared at him. He was beginning to recognize what certain tones meant when the blonde used them. This one was the one he always used when he knew very well the answer to his question, but wanted to hear him say the answer anyways.

"Oh please. You know very well what I'm trying to say." Ness snapped.

"Humor me."

Wow, this was so not how he had pictured the conversation going. He had just broken the news to Lucas that he may have just ruined his whole high school career as the popular golden boy, and here he was concerned with the details. Well, better this than what he'd expected.

Ness let out a small sight. "People would know about us."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly are we, Nathaniel?"

He felt a hot blush creep onto his face as he shifted in his seat uncomfortably. It was a valid question, one that Ness had been pondering himself for the past few days, but nevertheless one he was totally unprepared to answer.

"How the hell should I know? Is it that important to have a label? People make up their own mind anyways," Ness asked, glancing at Lucas accusingly. "Why should I have to be the one to decide?"

"Because we both already know what we would be if I had my way."

Ness stared at him for a second, in disbelief at what he was inferring. No, he couldn't be…

"So what are you trying to say?" he asked, though he was almost sure he knew already. He needed to hear it from Lucas's mouth though, needed to hear it in plain English, not through subtle suggestions and hints.

Lucas didn't even blink as he responded. "That we would be together if it were up to me. We both know, Nathaniel, that it is you, not me, who is unsure of what he wants."

For some reason, Ness felt guilty. Guilty for making the jock chase him around like this, and for rejecting him over and over again.

"You know…" Lucas continued, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his lips, "For hating my confidence, you're quite lucky I'm so self assured."

"And why's that?"

"Because, any normal guy would have given up about the fifth time you rejected him."

Ness averted his gaze to the rounded table between them, staring at the circular patterns engraved in it. Who knew Lucas's enormous ego, or self confidence as he liked to call it, would ever come in useful. It was true, though. Any normal personal would have probably developed and inferiority complex.

"Don't worry though."

Ness looked up, confusion marring his features as he met Lucas's thoughtful gaze.

"Huh?"

"I'm quite patient, you know. Especially when it comes to something I really want."

Ness could feel his face turning even redder at Lucas's words.

"I will wait for you."

Ness swallowed. Hard. He really needed to stop saying shit like that.

"Well, I'm not asking you to." he said, glancing up at the blonde. True. He'd never asked him to. But he was really hoping Lucas would do it anyways.

"I know," the jock said, a small smile flashing across his face. "But I'm selfish, so I'm going to anyways."

Ness couldn't help but smile. Yeah, he probably looked like an idiot with a sheepish grin plastered across his face like he was high, or drunk, or both. This had to be, though, the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to him.

 _Beep. Beep._

He reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone.

 _I'm here._

Glancing out the window, Ness spotted his mom's silver mini-van. Crap. Time had flown by.

"Crap. You realized we didn't get any studying done?" he asked, shoving his books back into his bag.

"Well, then, I suppose this means we'll have to do this again. Soon."

Ness narrowed his eyes at Lucas, though he was still smiling. Another flawlessly executed plan of his, no doubt.

"Yeah, I guess we will…" he said, a small smile creeping onto his face as he made his way to the door.

"Oh, and tell your mom I said hello." Lucas called to Ness over his shoulder.

The raven haired boy let out a stifled laugh. Well, at least his mom approved of his crush, whether or not that detail would make the news any bigger or worse to keep.

Sliding into the passenger seat, Ness's face paled as his mom pulled away from the curb.

There, sitting two cars over with a few of his friends, was Red, his gaze focused in on the spot where Ness had been sitting. They must've been here the whole time… _Fuck_.

And he didn't look pleased… at all.

* * *

 **There we are my fellow readers! The newest and latest chapter of The Raven and the Lion! Expect the next update on Monday, as I'm doing every other day. If you want reviews to be replied to by then, you've got to review before the afternoon on Monday-Friday as that's when I usually have school and I'm working on this chapter at 3:30 Eastern Standard Time of the US Coast... so yeah, get to it fellow lovelies! Review replies inbound!**

 **crabbyTomato- Rest isn't necessary... the cold makes rest inaccessible. I'm running highly on like five hour sleeps collectively cause the coughing, the sneezing, the inability to breathe etc... is keeping me up, but don't worry. Don't ask me how I came up with Lucas Halcyon. I just did... which was actually made for ironic purposes because halcyon besides being a synonymous color for yellow, means peaceful and tranquility, and Lucas in CE meant danger, death, betrayal etc... Ness Mortmain has stayed, it has a good ring to it. Nathaniel Mortmain is better, Cross Examined reference too. You almost jinxed yourself with the Red thing. Nice one. And hey, it's not an issue that you read the replies. This is all public, no? This story will have somewhere in the vicinity of 40+ chapters, and the word count will be getting longer as I do pass the CE word limit by a good amount. And yep, I met my boyfriend because of this story! Cute indeed.**

 **SolarEnergy07- Lucas x Ness always has this happen, huh? People who don't like Yaoi come over and read it because it's manageable. Glad to have you aboard from Pluto Vacation sire! And jeez, has everyone read Cross Examined? Jeezum, didn't even think like that, as I know the writing is by far not some of my best at all. And for clarity purposes, yes I'm a guy. I kinda thought my username made that very obvious- what girl uses a picture and word like that for their username...?**

 **AuPalladium- I'm sorry darling! Well, hey, we establish connections again didn't we not? And sweetie, you also need to care about yourself too, not just me. I've got you and writing to take care of me so I'm set! I freaking love you and your puns, good lord darling... *kisses forehead***

 **Ender2412- We're talking 40+ chapters here like Cross Examined, dude. The reason I said 29-32 chapters is because you said you can't handle the squealing? Squealing will become prominent between Chapters 29-32 a million fold, so prepare yourself! And Awwwww, dude, that's so sweet of you to say, staying up too late. Hey, school is more important than my fanfiction, just letting you know that. Glad to be of help! And yeah, did you get to read Oasis? If you did, I suggest at looking at these pieces in order- Dark Tech Tethered by Darkness, Fading, *Oasis*, Nine Hundred and Thirty Three Days, and Yesterday, as they're all one-shot stories intertwined in an AU storyline I have going on that's my best work collectively in this fandom. And Saturday is amazing indeed!**

 **WinWin01- Thank you so much! Glad to know you're liking it.**

 **And there we are guys! Thanks for reading, and thanks for reviewing, I love writing these out. Have an amazing day!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	11. Chapter 11: That Slip Up Though

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with the newest chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #11: That Slip Up Though. I realize that maybe I'm being too nice on you guys and should you have you wait several days longer for updates, but I'll be an asshole and decide that later depending on my schedule and all that fine stuff. Time to see if Ness, Lucas, and the rest of the gang, although *(are they a gang since no one likes each other truly)*, can deal with the former two's mess ups and issues. We all know Lucas and Ness just down right screwed up with Red, and how will Shulk play into this? Time to find out! Enjoy!**

* * *

Ness glanced down at Shulk from behind his notepad, trying to seem interested in the conversation they'd been having. Thank god Saturday nights at Mac's Diner were slow, because his brain was turning into a complete pile of mush with thoughts of Red and whatever repercussions that might come from the little get together he'd had with Lucas replacing any otherwise productive notions he might have.

"Hey... kid?"

He blinked twice, his mind pulled back to the present by Shulk's worried voice.

"Huh?"

"Ness, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." the raven haired boy assured him, mustering a small smile.

The construction worker appeared unconvinced, continuing to peg him with a worried stare. "Those guys giving you trouble again?"

Ness shook his head. "No." He really hoped Shulk would quit with all the questions. He didn't plan on having a little Oprah session with him on his break about his fucked up love life.

The older man seemed to take the hint, though he still had a look in his eyes that told Ness he wasn't done. "Ness- kid, maybe you just need a little down time. I'm sure you're overworked between work and school. Look, there's this party tonight my friends invited me to. You should come. "

The waiter hesitated, contemplating his proposition. Well… maybe. He hadn't hung out with his friends… alright, maybe just Nana, all week. And with all the drama going on between him and Lucas and Red, he could really use something to take his mind off the whole ordeal.

"Sure."

Shulk smiled up at him widely like he'd just won the lottery.

"Great. I'll be back at the end of your shift to pick you up."

* * *

At 10:01, Ness spotted Shulk's car pull up in front of Mac's Diner. Crap. How had he ever thought this was a good idea? The construction worker blonde buff dude liked him. And they both knew it. And now he was going to a late night party with him. Alone.

He couldn't help but feel like he was going behind Lucas's back by doing so, almost like cheating. Except he wasn't, because they weren't going out. And he didn't owe him anything. Nope. Not a thing.

Since when had he become such a compulsive liar?

Honestly, though, how was he supposed to know if he liked naughty or nice if he didn't try them both? He was still young, a teenager. This was the time you were supposed to spend exploring different things to figure out what you liked and didn't like.

Taking a deep breath, Ness made his way out to Shulk's black pickup truck, hopping into the passenger seat and giving him a friendly smile.

"So, how was your shift?" the blonde asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Good." Ness said, noticing the overpowering scent of fast food and sweat saturating the car. Ah, the telltale signs of construction work. He hated himself for it, but he couldn't help but compare it to the pleasant peppermint aroma that had welcomed him when he'd first rode in Lucas's car.

"You alright? You've been real quiet lately." Shulk said, casting another worried glance his way.

"Yeah, I've just got a lot on my mind." Ness mumbled, looking down at his hands and feeling slightly guilty for not being the good company he knew Shulk deserved. He was a nice guy. Really. He just…

"Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here." the blonde said, reaching over and giving Ness a small pat on the shoulder. His hands were heavy, and slightly calloused from his work. Lucas's had been-

Gah. He seriously had to stop this.

Ness had to keep himself from flinching at the physical contact. It had never bothered him before. Maybe it was just his nerves, he told himself, at having accepted such an impromptu party invitation which would undoubtedly be filled with a bunch of people he didn't know. And older people, at that.

"Ness, just to warn you, there'll be alcohol at the party. I'm not sure if you're into that type of thing or not, but…"

"Oh yeah. I get drunk. All the time." the raven haired boy assured him, trying to play it off like it was nothing. A little white lie never hurt anyone, right?

Shulk glanced over at Ness, letting out a hearty laugh. "Yeah? Well, just don't drink too much tonight. The last thing you need is a killer hangover."

The younger boy nodded his head in agreement. Yeah, perhaps a few drinks would do him some good.

* * *

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

Ness groaned, forcing one eye open, then the other.

God, he felt like crap. Like someone had pounded his head in, and scratched his eyes out. And sat on his chest-

"Gah!"

He tried jerking away from Shulk's limp body, which had apparently been resting against his chest

Holy. Shit. What the hell had happened?

Shulk was out cold. He barely even groaned as Ness pushed his body off of him and onto the cold linoleum he'd apparently been sleeping on for the past umpteen hours.

 _Beep._

Ness averted his gaze back down to the source of the noise that had woken him in the first place, digging into his pocket for his cell phone. It was a text from Nana.

 _OMG! You dirty little whore!_

Crap. What was she talking about? He tried to rack his mind for any memories of the night before. The last thing he could remember was… riding in Shulk's car, carrying on small talk. That's right… they had been going to a party… where there was alcohol.

He must have gotten totally wasted last night. Judging by the looks of it, Shulk had as well. Well, at least they were both still fully-

Shit! Ness threw his arms out in front of his bare chest as if to cover himself from an audience that wasn't there. Where the hell was his shirt? And what had the two of them done last night? Crap. What if Lucas found out?

He had to get out of here. Now. Ness didn't bother looking for his shirt, maneuvering his way around the passed out bodies between him and the front door. Stumbling outside, he took out his phone again.

 _Come get me. Now. I'm at…_

He didn't even know the address. Looking back at the house and then down the street for the name, he finished his text to Nana.

 _5938 Willows Brooke._

Ten minutes later, her hot pink slug bug pulled up in front of the house. She had a silly grin on her face, one that scared the hell out of Ness. Obviously, she knew a lot more about what had gone on last night than he did.

Sliding into her car, Ness opened his mouth to ask Nana about last night, only to be interrupted.

"You didn't bother putting a shirt on? Well, at least you have some pants on now."

"What?" Ness choked out, his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

Nana gave him a curious look. "Last night… don't you remember sending me the picture?"

Ness's eyes narrowed. "I don't even remember going to the party last night. The last thing I remember, I was in Shulk's car, talking to him…"

Her jaw dropped open. "Oh. My. God. Ness! I knew you were wasted last night, but not this bad…"

"So what exactly happened last night?"

Nana hesitated, as if not sure he could handle the truth, before whipping out her phone, skimming through it for a second, and then handing it to him. On it was a picture of Ness, stripped down to his boxers with a bottle of beer in one hand and the cell phone he was obviously taking the picture with in the other, kissing Shulk.

Holy. Shit.

What if they'd done more than just kiss? What if they'd- gah! He shuttered at the very thought that for his first time, he might never be able to remember it because he was drunk off his ass and probably didn't know what the hell he was doing… not that he would have anyways, but still. Not being able to remember it...

Not exactly most people's ideal way of losing their virginity.

Ness cursed inwardly, hoping to god that wasn't what had happened. He needed to talk to Shulk and ask him about it… after he was less awkward… and freaked out. Hopefully he would remember what happened last night.

"You've got to delete this. Now." Ness said, doing it for her before she could object.

"Uh… well, see, there's one other thing…"

He could feel dread consume him as he recognized that tone in her voice.

"Nana, what the hell did you do?"

"See, I thought you were with Shulk now, ya know, since you sent me a picture of you kissing him and all. So… I tried to tell Lucas… like, I tried to tell him you weren't interested anymore… you know, so he wouldn't be all heartbroken and strung along…but he didn't believe me… so… I kinda… sent him the picture."

Ness felt as if someone had a chokehold on his throat. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Nana!"

She flinched in her seat, a remorseful look on her face. "I'm sorry! I was just trying to help."

"Well stop trying to help! Because you're not!"

"It's not like you didn't just finish talking to me about how you weren't even sure you were going to give him a chance. How was I supposed to know any differently?"

She had a point. A now irrelevant point, but still a point. This was his fault. He had been the one that had gone to the party. He had been the one trying to convince both Nana and Lucas he wasn't totally crushing on him when he was. And, apparently, he'd been the one to kiss Shulk. Which he wasn't even sure why. He hadn't even felt attracted to him lately… not since things had started up with Lucas.

"Gah. Whatever… what did he say back?"

"Well… nothing."

He had never once seen Lucas at a loss for words. Not once.

* * *

Ness paced back and forth behind the counter of Mac's Diner. He hadn't talked to Shulk… or Lucas… all day, not that that had been all that long. After getting picked up from whoever's house he'd crashed at, he'd had just enough time to run home and get changed before having to start his shift here. It was Sunday night, and he was sure Lucas would come in. He had to, right? I mean, after everything…

"Ness. You've got a waiter request. Table six."

He had never been more relieved to hear Mac say those eight words. Stumbling forward, he made his way over to the table as fast as he could without drawing attention to himself. Maybe if he could just explain himself then-

Whoa.

Lucas looked up at him, sporting a black eye and a busted lip. He had a few other cuts and scrapes on his face, and from what he could see his knuckles were scraped up. Bad.

Ness opened his mouth to ask what had happened, only to feel a small tap on his shoulder.

"What?" he snapped, glancing over his shoulder.

There was Shulk, standing behind him with his eyes drifting from Ness to Lucas and then back."You forgot your shirt earlier."

* * *

 **That little bastard, huh? Okay, few conspiracy questions here. Did Ness and Shulk do the intercourse? Was Red the one who beat up Lucas? What will Ness's mother think of the whole ordeal? Well, we'll learn that soon enough, but your thoughts are also nice to read about. And yeah, wow... talk about a few twisting of events. Nana is going to get them all killed one of these days won't she. You love her, but damn, she's going to either A. run her mouth so bad it'll fall off, or B. like tell Ness's mother he's gay or something stupid like that. But, I digress. Review replies are as follows...~**

 **Retronym- For some reason I am surprised to see you reviewing a story like this, but don't question me. I'm weird, we've established that. Oh good god, that counter probably has already skyrocketed and we're only a 1/4th of the way through the story. *chuckle* Ness will get some eventually. All the characters will, actually, you'll just have to stick around long enough to find out. And, Nana is your favorite. Like the only person I know who loves her.**

 **Ender2412- What did I tell you? Homework comes before my stories! I'm a writer, not a teacher, not someone who can scald off your knuckles for late assignments. *actually no one can do that, but you get my gist* Lucas is an odd case, trust me, but you'll get to see him for what he truly is soon enough, don't worry. And are you kidding? Red follows Lucas around like a damn lap dog, trust me. *nods* Yep, 40+ chapters! Means a whole lot of this story for a whole lot of amazing readers. Did you get to read the other one-shot pieces yet?**

 **SolarEnergy07- *cough* Have you read Cross Examined? Lucas gets the brunt end of that deal by far, and Ness doesn't have too much bad shit happen to him in that. A stabbing... and I literally think that's it. Oh forgot, spoilers. And, also, my boyfriend, Mr. AuPalladium, he'll fight you if you want me. Just letting you know. *see his review for further details***

 **YuukixMitsuru- Oh hello! Yeah, I'm not surprised you read through this pretty fast. The chapters aren't that long. Wait for awhile though, we'll be getting there eventually.**

 **AuPalladium- Hidden territory we go. *starts singing Wizard of Oz, but since no one sings along I stop and look around shamelessly* And honey, I did. No need to be my white knight in shining armor, sweetheart. *ruffles hair* Love you too.**

 **There we are guys! I'm either going to post the next chapter on the 10th or the 11th, more likely the former but if it is on the 11th it just means I'm busy catching up in school from all the crap I missed. Yeah, I still have this cold / cough thing going on, so I kinda can't do anything but write... so... yeah. Love you all! Please review, I'd love to respond! Thanks for reading and have an amazing day! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	12. Chapter 12: Blonde Benefactors

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #12: Blonde Benefactors, as it is time the two blonde characters of the story get to meet each other face to face and deal with all the issues and problems we've been having. I understand that you all are... "freaking out" and now I'm just laughing my ass off, no offense intended, but it is fun when you write a story and make people squirm. I bet everyone is going to hate Shulk now, too... oh dear. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Holy. Shit.

Ness froze, his mind racing, trying to figure a way out of the seemingly impossible situation.

Shulk seemed to pick up on the palpable tension pulsing between him and Lucas, his brows furrowing in worry.

"Is there a problem here?"

"Umm, now is not a good-"

Lucas answered before Ness could finish, his eyes zeroed in on Shulk like a predator tracking its prey. "Don't be rude Nathaniel. Introduce me to your _friend_."

The raven haired boy fidgeted. Crap. He didn't like the look on the jock's face. He had something planned. Something bad. He'd never really seen Lucas angry before, aside from the whole Red almost making a crater out of his face incident, but he was betting he wasn't the type to play friendly with his enemies.

"Nathaniel? What type of pet name is that," Shulk asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling ruefully. "I thought you always went by Ness."

"I do." the waiter mumbled hurriedly. Well, there was no way of getting around this. They were in the same room, within a few feet of one another, and apparently the jock recognized the construction worker from the nice little picture he'd received via text message. Not introducing them wasn't going to deter Lucas from whatever he was planning. Prolong it, maybe, but definitely not prevent it.

"So-uh... Lucas this is Shulk. And Shulk, this is Lucas."

The older man nodded, though obviously still puzzled by the tension.

"How do you two know each other?" he asked, his eyes flickering from the raven haired boy to the blonde for a second.

"Funny. I was just about to ask you the same question." Lucas said, leaning back in his seat and studying Shulk with a careful intensity that put the waiter on edge.

"We –"

"He's a customer." Ness interrupted, cutting the older man off.

"Ah…" the jock said, his lips drawn into a tight line. "And do you provide all the people that you serve with such excellent _customer service_ , Nathaniel?"

Ness flushed a deep shade of red. "No- I mean-"

"I'm sorry, maybe I missed something," Shulk interrupted, not understanding what Lucas was referring to. "How do you two know each other again?"

"We go to school together." Ness said, grateful for the interruption. He so did not want to answer Lucas's question.

"You're not one of the punks that's been bullying him, are you?" the construction worker asked, his brows furrowing.

Fuck. Too much was coming out all at once. Too many-

"No," Lucas said, the only sign he had acknowledged the meaning behind Shulk's words in the subtle tightening of his jaw. "However, on that note, I believe I have something that belongs to you." he reached into his pocket before pulling out the crumpled note Red had been using to blackmail him, sliding it over to Ness on the table.

He froze, staring down at it. If he had the note, then that meant he must know…

"How's your hand, Nathaniel? Still recuperating from that little door incident?" Lucas's gaze was impassible, his features set in stone as he started up at him. He knew. He had to. He was just waiting for Ness to come clean and-

"A door? You got it all wrong," Shulk interrupted, shaking his head. "Ness got his hand all fucked up when that asshole came in the other day and-"

"It's not important!" Ness snapped, cutting the older male off. But the damage was already done. Lucas's eyes flashed, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly for a second before he regained his cool composure.

"Ah, so you were here?"

"Yeah, I had to teach them a lesson."

"Well, then, it seems I owe you for looking out for Nathaniel." Lucas said, though the last thing he sounded was grateful.

"Ah, no, it was nothing."

"No, I insist, really. Sit down. Dinner's on me."

Shulk hesitated for a second before sliding into the booth across for Lucas. "Alright, cool."

"Umm, don't you have somewhere you need to be?" Ness mumbled, really not liking the way things were heading.

He glanced over at him curiously. "No. No parties tonight."

Lucas's eyes narrowed at Shulk's words, a tight smirk spreading across his face as he leaned back in his seat. Ness knew he had other orders to fill, other tables to attend to, but he couldn't bring himself to leave the two of them alone. He had the daunting feeling that if he turned his back on them even for a second, the careful peace passing between them would go to hell.

The jock's voice was cold and smooth when he spoke. "So, tell me, when was it that pedophilia first became a hobby of yours?"

Ness cursed inwardly. Talk about an ice breaker.

Shulk choked on the water he'd been drinking, coughing for a few seconds. "What?"

"Well, I highly doubt you're under twenty five. And I know for a fact that Nathaniel is only seventeen."

"Yeah, but were just friends."

"Friends that kiss and strip down half naked together." Lucas mused, his cool gaze never leaving Shulk's as he took a sip of his own water.

The older male fidgeted in his seat, his whole face red. He seemed to have pieced the pieces of the puzzle together about the jock knowing what went on last night at the party. "Look, that was just one time and-"

Lucas leaned forward in his seat, his voice harsh and his features drawn taunt. "Perhaps this is where all the confusion lies. You only have to have sex with a minor once for you to be considered a pedophile. "

"Listen, I know I fucked up, but it's not like that with him and I-"

"How so?"

"I-we-were just-"

"We're just friends," Ness finished his sentence, his eyes darting from Shulk to Lucas anxiously. "That made a mistake. A big mistake."

"In the same way that you and I are friends?" the younger blonde asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Ness opened his mouth. Except nothing came out.

"Lets make things clear," Lucas said, narrowing his eyes at Shulk. "You gave an under aged boy alcohol. And got him drunk. And took advantage of him."

"I wasn't taken advantage of-"

The jock ignored Ness's words, continuing to speak to Shulk. "You are to never touch him again, do you understand me? I don't care if you didn't have sex with him. I don't care if it was just one innocent kiss. Never. Again."

The older man blinked, obviously surprised that he was being threatened by someone at least ten years younger than him. "I think you need to back off."

"Yes, well, I think you need to keep your hands off of what doesn't belong to you."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. He belongs to me."

Before Shulk could respond, Ness was surprised to hear his own voice address Lucas. "I do _not_ belong to you."

The blonde tilted his head to the side, staring up at Ness for a moment. "Nathaniel, you should be careful what you say. You've already dug yourself into quite a deep hole with that mouth of yours."

"I'm not yours." he repeated, glaring at Lucas.

Who the hell did he think he was, trying to tell him who he could and couldn't see, and telling Shulk to stay away from him. That was his call.

"Yes, Nathaniel, you are. You just haven't realized it yet."

He scowled, then did a double take as he realized Shulk and Lucas had both stood up.

"You want to take this outside? Because then we handle this like real men." Shulk said, stepping forward.

"Woa." Ness babbled hurriedly, stepping between them. Fuck. The last thing he needed was the two of them punching the hell out of each other. Besides, Lucas was already bruised up, which he still needed to ask about. He hadn't been able to get a word in edge wise and-

Lucas's mocking laughter interrupted his thoughts as a wry smirk spread across his face. "Real men do not get innocent boys drunk and take advantage of them."

"He wanted it too."

"Oh really. And how the hell would you know? He was too drunk to even know what he was consenting t-"

"Oh please! You're just mad because he wanted to screw me instead of you!"

The whole restaurant fell silent. Ah, so Shulk had picked up on the true nature of his and Lucas's relationship… whatever that was. Everyone's eyes were glued to the three of them, and sometime amidst all the chaos Ness's boss, Mac, had made his way over to them.

"Excuse me, but I'm going to have to ask the two of your to lower your voices or leave."

Ness knew the lowering voices thing was not going to happen anytime soon, and the last thing he wanted was for the two of them to be out there fighting on the streets.

"Lucas, you need to leave."

The jock's eyes locked on to Ness's, and for a split second, he thought he saw something he could've sworn was impossible.

"So, this is how it's going to be?"

The waiter didn't have a choice. He really didn't. Shulk had been a customer here for years, and his boss would lay into him hard if he kicked him out.

"What else do you expect me to do?" Ness hissed to him under his breath.

Lucas's eyes flickered across his face for a moment before all the anger drained out of his features.

"Absolutely nothing…"

He took a few steps back, his eyes never leaving Ness before he turned on his heels and walked out of the restaurant.

His words felt like someone had just slapped him across his face and torn his heart open and in two. Maybe it was because he knew he'd done something horribly wrong, knew he'd done something to push Lucas away. Despite all the denial, this proved that there was something there between them. You didn't argue like this over nothing. And maybe it was because he knew he'd deserved the anger, and that, despite the fact that the way he was going about it was completely wrong, Lucas was standing up for him…in his own way, of course. Maybe, though, it was because he finally realized what he'd seen in the blonde's eyes. Hurt.

He'd always assumed Lucas would be the one to hurt him in the end with his status being what it was and all the other options he had. Who knew he'd be the one to cast the first stone?

Shulk turned to him, extending his hand to pat him on the shoulder."Hey, you alrig-"

"Don't touch me."

Ness was surprised by the malice in his own voice as he took a step away from the construction worker.

"Man, listen-"

"Did we have sex?"

Shulk swallowed hard, averting his gaze to the ground. The silence seemed to stretch on forever before he finally looked back up and answered.

"Yes."

* * *

 **Ness needs to stop messing with blonde haired individuals before everything turns south, and I mean pronto. But then again, this is Ness Mortmain we're talking about. Will he? I highly doubt not. So... yeah, we know that Shulk and him have done it... which surprisingly may not be the best thing in the whole world, but least Ness did in style, right? How do you think he'll reciprocate with Lucas when this is all said and done? Find out soon!**

 **YuukixMitsuru- Nice, hype chapter! And sorry to say, as of now, you're dead wrong with the assumption. But is that all there is on the bottom playing field? For all we know, yes. And sweet! Glad to have you given you inspiration. (*Quickly everyone, write Ness x Shulk in the new OTP section!)**

 **Retronym- Why thank you, amazing to see that thou has stuck around for another round. Awwww, that's really sweet. And, it looks like your hoping has turned out to be false, and that key little plot point is something I'll be toying around with for awhile, so keep it there. And guess what, you want to hope Ness's mother will be that way? For anyone who else has read this story and remembers... well, that's not the case, but I won't spoil.**

 **Sugarcube- I'm back! I've continued, like you asked.**

 **SolarEnergy07- Thanks for the knowledge, will follow it. And I don't know, when I'll update Pluto Vacation. I'm supposed to have time to do a chapter sometime this weekend perhaps, but like you asked me about how I'm feeling, I just got back to school today after missing so much and the work load game I've had to do spending playing catch up, it'll kill me if I don't set priorities straight. It was hard enough and daring enough as it is to have gotten a chapter of this out. And, that's a very sweet compliment, thank you.**

 **Ender2412- *slowly puts back shovel* I forgive you, I won't bash you over the head with it just yet. And Wednesday is here! And guess what, you're still waiting. Take some time and maybe your question will be answered on Friday. ;) I love torturing you guys, just a little. It works though! And nope! The five main characters you've met- Ness, Lucas, Shulk, Red, and Nana, they are the only main characters we'll see so a lot of choices can be limited, but its not to say there won't be others to focus on later. And hey watch it, I'm somewhat a blonde! And you're welcome for the sidetracking. Apparently I'm really good at that. Just ask my boyfriend.**

 **AuPalladium- *hugs* Hope you're doing well. Yeah, there's some differences although very slight. If you do remember the old story up until the point I stopped, then it is basically the same. And thank you so much for noticing that slip up, I promise not to make more mistakes. No need to worry. I love you!**

 **mother-sins- *internally screams* Thanks for the review, lovely! Shit _is_ going down!**

 **Thanks for reviewing guys, that was like an all time high since I've started, keep it up! I am really busy and behind on my story updates so I'll try and work with my schedule and see if I can manage to get an update out on Friday, but that may not happen. Least I'm letting you know. I hope you all have an amazing day, leave a review, follow or favorite, just so you can never miss. Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	13. Chapter 13: Evil in the Shadows

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #13: Evil in the Shadows. We're moving steadily along, and eventually, I'm going to be taking more than every other day for updates to let people catch up, but that won't be for awhile. You guys have been eating this up with a spoon, and I'm super happy to know that! You guys are all amazing readers and I hope one day you'll branch out into other projects I'll be doing- such as a few contest entries I'm having. Hard to believe, when we meet again, it'll be Valentine's Day. Hey, great gift! Enjoy!**

* * *

Ness cranked the heat up to high on the shower, scrubbing at his skin till it was red and raw. God, he couldn't believe Shulk and he had… gah, he couldn't even think about it. This was so not how things were supposed to have gone. At all.

Then again, what else had he been expecting when he'd accepted his invitation? Some nice little picnic with rainbows and ponies? Yeah. Right. Because his whole life had just been one brilliant _fucking_ fairy tale up until this point.

What had made him think this would be any different?

Fifteen minutes later, he was lying in his bed, wide awake, his damp hair matted to his face. He'd hoped the shower would take some of the edge off the frantic feeling clawing at his chest. It hadn't.

The alarm o'clock to his right read 2:17 A.M. in bright red numbers. He really should get some sleep. The last thing he needed was to be saying shit that would make things worse because he was tired and groggy. The problem was, though, every time he closed his eyes, he saw the look on Lucas's face and the two words that had been trumping the rest of his thoughts since then.

 _Absolutely nothing…_

Gah! He couldn't stop thinking about it. Why? What was wrong with him. The raven haired boy couldn't help it. It wasn't just the way he'd said it… or the tone in his voice... or the fact that, for once, the boy was actually scared the blonde might take the hint this time he'd pushed him away. It was the look in his eyes, the undeniable knowledge that he'd actually hurt him.

It wasn't as if he hadn't done enough to warrant it. He'd lied to him about the whole Red incident. He'd rejected just about every advance he'd made. He'd gone and had sex with…god, he wasn't a virgin anymore. And he couldn't even remember it.

Yup. Just another part of his life he'd managed to royally screw up.

Yeah, this sleep thing was so not happening.

Reaching for his phone, he dialed Nana's number. She was probably asleep, like most normal people at this time. But, really, he couldn't find the energy to care all that much, considering she'd played a big part in this whole god damn mess.

"Hello?" A groggy voice mumbled, obviously hers.

"Good. You're up."

"Ness? What the hell? Do you know what time it is!"

"Listen, Nana, I talked to Lucas..."

His friend's voice went uncharacteristically silent on the other end. Great.

"Nana? Hello?"

"Hi… listen… you should know something."

"Oh, _fuck_. What the hell did you do now?"

"Nothing… it's just… you saw Lucas, right?"

"Yeah, that's what I just said."

"Well, umm, did he look a little off?"

Ness opened his mouth to tell her to stop asking stupid questions and let him get on with the story before it struck him that she was probably talking about his bruised eye and busted lip.

"Yeah, he looked like he'd gotten into a fight or something. Do you know what happened?"

"Well, I'm not saying this is for sure or anything, but rumor has it after your little study date him and Red got into it, bad… over you."

"Over me?" The raven haired boy could feel his throat tense up like he'd just swallowed fire.

"Yeah… something about a note or something like that, and him threatening you. Did that actually happen?"

Ness hadn't heard her last question. He was such an asshole. An evil asshole. God. He'd gone out partying with the attitude that he didn't owe Lucas shit while the blonde had confronted his best friend- well, at least Red had been his best friend at some point- to clean up his mess.

He needed to fix this, needed to somehow make it up to him. He had to.

"Ness? Hello?"

He remembered he was still on the line with Nana, and suddenly didn't feel like talking.

"I've gotta go Nana, lets talk later at school-"

"Wait! You haven't told me what ha-"

"Tomorrow. I promise."

The silence that followed told him she was pouting on the other line, but obviously knew fighting him on the issue wasn't a smart moving considering he'd had a hell of a hard night.

"Fine." she mumbled, though it was obvious she wasn't too angry.

"Alright. See you at school."

"Kay. Bye. And Ness?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't' beat yourself up over this. It's only normal for people our age to go out and do crazy stuff like this every once in a while…"

But it wasn't normal for a guy like Lucas to like someone like him. At all.

"Yeah… thanks. Bye."

Lying back down on his bed, he knew he wouldn't sleep at all.

He had to figure out some way to get Lucas to forgive him. And he wasn't sleeping until he did. Something about tonight had made everything a hell of a lot more clear. Maybe it was the whole 'you don't know what you've got till it's gone thing. Or maybe it was realizing that he'd hurt the jock, and the guy had stuck around until he'd kicked him out anyways. He had a feeling, though, it was the fact that Lucas had thought him being a virgin was cute, and Shulk had taken it from him in one drunken night without giving a crap that he was drunk and too boozed up to consent.

Yup, he could really pick 'em alright.

* * *

Shulk dug his hand into his pocket, retrieving the last of the pills from last night. They had worked perfectly. Ness hadn't been able to remember a thing. And he'd been so out of it that he'd passed out on the linoleum floor only a few hours after they'd arrived at the party.

It hadn't been hard slipping the little pills into his drink. To his credit, the raven haired boy had only had one beer… which was suprising, considering most teenage boys his age jumped at the chance to get drunk off their ass. One beer, however, was all it took. Funny, he'd never thought to use date rape drugs before. Then again, that's what allies were good for, wasn't it.

 _Beep. Beep._

Shulk dug into his pocket, pulling out his phone. Speak of the devil. He'd just gotten a text from his new little friend now.

 _Did it work?_

The construction worker couldn't help the cold smile spreading across his face.

 _Perfectly._

 _Good. How is he?_

 _Lucas?_

 _Who the fuck else?_

Shulk scowled at the text, a bit upset he was having to deal with such a hot-headed individual. But beggars couldn't be choosers, which, unfortunately, was what he was right now.

 _He's pretty upset. We almost got into it._

 _I told you not to touch him._

 _And I didn't._

A few minutes passed before the next text came through.

 _And they didn't suspect a thing?_

 _Nope._

 _Good. I'll text u if we encounter any more problems._

 _Same here._

With that, the older blonde male shoved the phone back into his pocket, almost feeling bad as he remembered the look in Ness's eyes when he'd told the boy they'd had sex. Almost. At least he hadn't actually had sex with him.

Admittedly, he would have if Ness had been coherent enough to play along, but the boy had passed out before he'd gotten he chance. The little lie, though, had done it's job. Lucas seemed more than content with leaving him alone, as things were.

And, after a few days, Ness would get over the little 'mistake', as he'd called it, that he thought happened last night and forgive him. Then things would go as planned. Just as they had been before that annoyingly cocky pretty boy had come into the picture. Yup. He would have the waiter all to himself.

Reaching into the passenger's side of the car, Shulk picked up the shirt Ness hadn't bothered taking from him. He didn't blame him, really. There had been a lot going on, between the drama and the fighting. Besides, that gave him a little souveneir, and a reason to approach Ness again. Holding it up to his face, he inhaled deeply, immersing himself in the boy's scent.

* * *

Red tossed his phone onto the desk, easing his body down onto the bed in his bedroom. Shulk had proven to be more than a worthy ally. The guy had followed him after the little spat in the diner when he'd crushed Ness's hand. He'd been expecting him to beat the shit out of him, or try at least, but instead he'd proposed something completely unexpected.

Shulk wanted Lucas, who he'd quickly realized had become more than a threat to his and Ness's… relationship, or whatever the hell you'd call it, out of the picture. And Red wanted Ness to stop messing around with Lucas. So, seeing as they both had a common goal, they'd joined forces.

Funny, he hadn't figured the guy to be all shady and shit. Then again, appearances were deceiving, and didn't he know that better than anyone.

So, all he'd had to do was provide the date rape drugs, and Shulk had done the rest.

Of course, he hadn't expected the little fight he'd had with Lucas the day before to go down. But he hadn't had a choice, really. The blonde jock had demanded the note back when the truth had finally come out, and told him to stay away from Ness. Unfortunately, he'd chosen to convey the last part with his fists after he'd realized what Red had done to his new crush's hand. And there was no way in hell he was going to just sit there and take it like some fag while Lucas laid into him. Which had just pissed him off, honestly.

That, and assured him he was doing the right thing here.

He couldn't understand why the hell Lucas seemed to like the pathetic loser, but when it came down to it, it really didn't matter. He'd done what he had to, since the little finger breaking apparently hadn't sent a clear enough message. And he didn't feel bad. At all.

In fact, he'd been a little disappointed to find out Shulk hadn't raped Ness. The fucker would have deserved it. But, the mental torture he'd go through thinking the whole thing happened was almost as bad as the real thing. Which brought him at least a little satisfaction.

* * *

 **DUN DUN DUN! Evil is afoot everyone, evil is afoot! Now, I'm all pretty sure everyone's going to jump down my throat and want to kill Shulk and Red, but you know me and my twists, there's always a reason behind my motives and not everything is as bad as it seems, especially when it'll come down to how certain people truly know each other, and once Ness and Lucas get to sorting crap out. Anything Nana can do to fix this? I highly doubt it now, huh? But, yep, there is rather something dark and sinister in the works in the shadows, but all you guys know is one bit and piece of the picture, not the full thing. Hope it keeps you enthralled!**

 **SolarEnergy07- Oh no... all the characters in this story (yes, including Red and Shulk), get a lot of shit and tension and it's going to be dark and sad for awhile.**

 **Sugarcube- Do you remember this chapter? The heavens that I shattered with this chapter... good lord. *chuckles and shakes head* Those were some fun times. And I'll keep updating if you keep reading. Glad you like it!**

 **Ender2142- You were pretty good for the most part, Mr. Typos Under the Covers. And damn... I've surprisingly heard worse towards Shulk, but I don't know if you'll be easing up on the gas anytime soon. I highly doubt it, actually. *claps* Mission accomplished! And, the correct spelling is pedophile, no extra E. But, do you feel just as angry for Shulk now that you know he lied and didn't go to that level? Lucas will be alright, he's got the calm demeanor. We'll see how everything goes, no? And Nana's mother doesn't even appear in the story. It's Ness's mother we've got to worry about.**

 **mother-sins- And, did you cry? I'm sorry if I made you, not my intention with this story, Jeezum no. And aww, that means a lot. I'm always the first person to say I don't think my writing is all that but perhaps I'm always too modest. My cliffhangers, heh, they're brutal. Did you read Cross Examined? Had cliffhangers like every chapter.**

 **YuukixMitsuru- The reason Ness didn't feel anything is because they didn't even do it. Good observation! Lol, go get em Lucas! We uh... got let the lovely blonde jock take several days to nap and recover... although yeah, he did roast Shulk pretty expertly. "that ice breaker though." Hahaha, it's okay. Go love and cry all you want. :)**

 **I love you all so much, and I'll be seeing you on Sunday. Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Bye! Thanks for reading, and please review! I'd love to respond to you!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	14. Chapter 14: Finding An Odd Median

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #14: Finding An Odd Median. I mean, holy shit, on Friday, you guys exploded with this story, reading it so angrily and hating on everyone that isn't a blonde jock and dark haired nerd. *grins sheepishly* Cute to watch, funny to see. I don't think there are any Shulk fans in the crowd, and there sure as hell aren't any Red fans out there, but perhaps we can change the latter's around eventually, one day. Hope you all have had an amazing Valentine's Day! A day to be loved, or to forever cry in the corner. No problem either way. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"I'm sorry. I fucked up really bad. I was an asshole." Gah, no. That didn't sound right.

Ness cursed under his breath, staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He'd spent the last hour trying to come up with some sort of apology that would trick Lucas into thinking he still deserved him.

"Mr. Hot jock, listen, I didn't mean to hurt you."

But he had, hadn't he? The fact that he hadn't meant to really didn't matter all that much at this point. The look on the blonde's face flashed across his mind again for the umpteenth time.

Yup. No words were going to fix what he'd seen in his eyes, what he'd put there.

Glancing at the clock, he realized he was out of time. School started in twenty minutes, and he had to leave now if he wanted to get there on time. Taking the stairs two at a time, he couldn't deny the nervous dread pulsing through him as he pushed open the front door and-

"You wanna hurry up!"

Nana was sitting there in front of his house in her hot pink slug bug, an odd smile on her face.

What the hell? Ness's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he made his way down to her car and slid into the passenger seat. He'd begged her to give him a ride to school millions of times. She'd always refused, arguing she didn't want to wake up the extra fifteen minutes it took to drive from her house to his.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd drop by and cheer you up." she chimed, an over exaggerated smile on her face.

Yeah right. Nana wasn't the type of person that went out of her way to do nice things for other people without a damn good reason.

"Liar."

"No, really, I just-"

"Seriously, N, cut the crap. It's 7:25 in the morning and I didn't sleep last night. I really don't feel like having to drag the truth out of you."

A small frown crept onto her face as she let out a frustrated sigh. "Damn it. I promised not to say anything."

"About what?"

"If I tell you, you can't tell anyone. Alright?"

"Nana, c'mon. Just tell me." the raven haired boy snapped, his patience running short.

"Fine. Look, don't get mad, but Lucas asked me to come and pick you up."

"Lucas?" Ness asked, confusion spreading across his face. "Why? After last night…"

"He told me what happened…" An awkward silence fell between the two of them for a split second before he cleared his throat.

"When did you talk to him?"

"This morning."

The raven haired boy hesitated, afraid of the answer to his next question but forcing it out anyways. "Is he still mad?"

"Ness, I really don't think I should be talking with you about this-"

"C'mon Nana. Please. I couldn't even sleep last night because I was so messed up about everything that went down."

An oddly serious look spread across her face, one that scared the hell out of him. "You really like him, don't you?"

Ness opened his mouth, ready to say no. Something stopped him, though. He'd done enough lying already. That's what had gotten him into this mess in the first place. First he'd lied to Lucas about what happened to his hand. Then he'd lied to himself about there being nothing between him and Lucas. And finally he'd lied to Shulk about his drinking history. Maybe if he'd told the truth, Shulk would have made sure he hadn't drunk so much, and then this whole mess could have been avoided.

"Yeah… I do."

Nana's voice rose slightly as she turned towards him in her seat. "Ness, why didn't you tell me about how serious you and Lucas were getting! And why didn't you tell me about the whole incident with Red at Mac's Diner, or that you might have had sex with Shulk! Do you know how much it sucked to hear all the important stuff your best friend is supposed to share with you from someone else?"

Ness felt the unforgiving sting of betrayal pulse through him. Of course, the blonde jock wasn't going to keep his secrets anymore, not after what he'd done. "He told you?"

"Yeah, but only because I refused to pick you up unless he explained what the hell was going on."

He knew he shouldn't, but he felt relieved at that. At least that meant Lucas wasn't going around telling all his secrets… so maybe, just maybe, there was still a chance he might forgive him.

"Why'd he ask you to do this, anyways?"

"I think he was worried about you, especially after he found out what Red did to your hand and how Shulk took advantage of-"

"He didn't take advantage of me."

"I don't get it Ness. Why are you still defending him? I mean, he's like, twenty eight. He shouldn't have even brought you to a party, let alone possibly had sex with you, which you still have to tell me about."

"Look, it's not a big deal. I mean, it was really casual, and just a one-night thing."

"Yeah. Okay. Cause it's totally not a big deal for an older construction worker man creep twenty eight year old to take advantage of a seventeen year old when at least one of them is drunk." Her voice was thick with sarcasm, bordering on mockery.

Ness could feel himself getting angry as he shot her a sharp glare. "I get it! I fucked up! What the hell do you want me to say!"

Nana blinked at him, obviously shocked by his outburst.

 _Fuck_. He really needed to stop this. He didn't need to burn anymore bridges then he already had.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just… I totally screwed up when I went to that party with Shulk, in at least three different ways. I had sex for the first time, and I can't even remember it. I probably ruined my friendship with him, and it's probably going to be all awkward and shit now. And with Lucas… I don't even know. I just… I didn't even get why he liked me in the first place, and now, after this... what if he just decide I'm more trouble then I'm worth..."

The smile on Nana's face told him she'd already forgiven him. "Don't worry, Ness. I mean, he wouldn't really tell me how he felt or anything, but the fact that he's still worried about your safety and everything means he obviously still cares."

The raven haired boy nodded, but stayed silent, focusing his gaze on the fuzzy pink dice hanging from Nana's rear view mirror. Just because Lucas didn't want him to get beat up didn't mean he wanted to have anything to do with him anymore. After all, he'd sent his best friend here to pick him up instead of coming himself.

"Why didn't he just come himself?"

"What? You don't like my company?" Nana prodded playfully.

"No, you know it's not that. It's just-"

"I get it. But I really can't say. He didn't tell me."

Ness couldn't help feel a bit jealous at the thought that she had spoken to Lucas this morning and he hadn't. "You guys talk a lot, don't you?"

She let out a bubbly laugh as she pulled away from the curb and headed in the direction of the school. "No, not really. We've only talked a few times, and mainly it's more like me talking and him listening. I mean, I know the only reason he talks to me is because I'm your best friend and he just wants to know more about you, but you know how eager I am to play cupid with you and your potential love interests. "

For the first time in the past twenty-four hours, Ness smiled. That's how all this had started, hadn't it; when she'd sent Lucas into the closet to play seven minutes in heaven. For how much he'd always despised her obsessive need to set him up with someone, he couldn't deny that he was relieved she was acting as a messenger between him and the blonde jock from heaven.

"Thanks, Nana."

Her smile widened on her face as she winked at him playfully. "Well, one of us has to snag him. He's, like, the hottest guy in school, and I think I might have finally succeeded and found someone who can actually put up with you like I do."

Ness let out a nervous laugh. He sure as hell hoped she was right, for his sake.

"So, did you guys do it? You and Shulk, I mean."

The raven haired boy kept his eyes carefully focused on the pink fuzzy die dangling from the rear view mirror.

"Apparently…"

* * *

Ness was the first person to arrive at his 4th period math class, his gaze focused on the seat he knew belonged to Lucas as he bit his lip nervously. The whole hour he'd spent earlier that day practicing some sort of apology to the blonde jock had gone to hell. He couldn't remember a single word. All he knew was that he needed to speak to him, to get a feel for how he was taking all this.

Slowly but surely, students began to file into the room, and finally the teacher. Ness cursed to himself as the bell went off, signaling the start of class.

Where was he? Maybe he wasn't going to come to 4th period. Maybe he was going to avoid him like this permanently. Or maybe he'd requested a schedule change so he wouldn't have to have any more classes with him. Oh, god, he really hoped he hadn't done that. Then when the hell would he see him?

Suddenly, the class erupted in a loud gasp. Glancing around, Ness snapped his head in the direction everyone else seemed to be looking.

Holy shit.

Red was standing in the doorway, a sling across his arm and two black eyes to match. His lip was busted, and his nose looked crooked, like it had been broken and then reshaped. Hell, he made Lucas's black eye and busted lip look like child's play. Well, at least the blonde had won that fight, though he hadn't come out of it unscathed.

The bully muttered a few foul words under his breath as he slowly made his way over to his own desk- which, lucky him, was right next to Ness. In his peripheral vision, he could see Red glancing over at Lucas's empty desk. Apparently he didn't know where his ex-friend was either, though he couldn't imagine why he'd care at this point. They'd obviously had a painful falling out, courtesy of Ness.

"What'd you do, scare him away?" Red growled, his voice raspier than usual as he glared over at Ness.

The raven haired boy almost laughed. Even beat to shit, the bully was still attempting to pick a fight. "Like you care. I know about you two's little brawl."

Red's swollen lip twisted into a menacing smirk. "You think this means shit? I wouldn't expect a fag like you to understand how these things work. When guys like us get angry, we handle it with our fists and then its over. All's good. The past is in the past."

Wow. If it was even possible, Ness could've sworn that in that moment Red had become even stupider.

"Yeah, well Lucas is not like you and the rest of your friends."

"Why? Because you have some pathetic little crush on him?"

God, Ness really needed to get a new seat.

"No, Red. Because unlike you, he's not some lame ass pansy that needs to bring three friends along to bully someone half his size." That's right. He hadn't forgotten their last little encounter at Mac's Diner, especially seeing as two of his finger were still healing because of it.

"You little bastard-"

"Let's play nice now, boys." Nana said, moving in between the two of them to serve as a physical buffer. Ness wondered if Lucas had asked her to play babysitter too. Probably, though he had no idea why.

Red glanced up at her, obvious annoyance on his face. "Don't tell me you're his new bodyguard, now that Lucas's done putting up with all his shit."

Ness's eyes narrowed as he tried and failed to stop his fingers from curling up into fists. Well, news traveled fast, didn't it.

"Shut your mouth." Oops. He really hadn't meant to say that aloud. Well, he couldn't take it back now, so he might as well follow through with it.

"Excuse me?"

"What are you, deaf? I said shut the hell up." The whole issue was way to raw for Ness to just ignore Red's blatant mockery of the situation.

"You didn't really think you had a chance with him, did you? Please. You're just some phase he went through, and has now grown out of."

He was ready to hit him. He was so ready to just knock that cocky smirk off his face, except Nana was standing between them.

"Just let it go Ness. He's so not worth it." she muttered, obvious disgust on her face as she glanced over at Red.

She was right. He didn't need anymore trouble than he'd already managed to make for himself. Swallowing whatever was left of his pride, Ness focused his eyes on the board, shooing her back to her seat after assuring her everything would be alright.

Lucas had decided not to come to class. Fine. He would come to him then. Red hadn't been worth the effort, but the blonde jock so was. He knew Nana had his number, so he would call him first to see if he'd agree to meet somewhere.

If he refused, he'd just have to look his address up in the phone book and go over to the house. The more time he allowed to go by, the worse things were going to seem. Besides, he needed to make sure Lucas was alright. He hadn't really been able to check him properly for injuries or anything, but knowing Red, the guy had probably fought dirty, regardless of whatever friendship he still seemed to believe he shared with the jock.

Which was, of course, also Ness's fault.

* * *

 **Well, things seem to mend and mediate hopefully, you know. And wow, even when Lucas isn't in the chapter (hard to not have him in it, I tell you), he still manages to get brought up over and over and over and over again, he's a disease, and possibly my favorite character of the story. Review replies inbound!**

 **Sugarcube- Yeah, sorry about that with the original disappearing. *sweatdrops* An issue I've now worked out, hopefully won't resurface or I'll get beyond super pissed. And, aww, thanks!**

 **SolarEnergy07- Shulk is a pedophile... granted, I know how out of character he is being, but this is fanfiction and F the rules. Because I promptly said so. And Red, although he doesn't seem to have anything going for him besides an asshole, this is a long story so clearly there is some things they settle out, right? And poor Lucas, poor Ness. Only gets worse from here.**

 **Mother-sins- Wouldn't that be a kick to the face? Not a punch? Ness and Lucas will sort things out the way the blonde jock always does- smooth compliments, interesting tone of voice, much groping and teasing etc... although I bet you wish the latter part happened. Aww, that's sweet! I personally think I've written far superior fics to both of these, such as Teach Me How to Cry, Pluto Vacation, Storytellers, and Infernum, but that's only my opinion. Wow, hope the emotion can keep on coming then... although if it hurts, stop and take a breather!**

 **Guest- Shulk is one creepy guy... not going to lie. Probably my favorite character to twist and change. Hope the wait of two days was worth it!**

 **YuukixMitsuru- I actually read your fics today! The Ness x Lucas x Toon x Villager was really awesome, I blushed occasionally, happens very seldom. I have a person to look up to in the realm of Yaoi! Be proud of yourself! Shulk can still be considered a sexual predator for going through what he did regardless, older male looking at a minor is an offense no matter how it is looked at. And no, Red does not want Lucas in anyway. That boy is straight as a the lowercase letter 'l'.**

 **Ender2412- *typos under the covers* That should be a badass humor/romance story. I think you gave me an idea! And yeah, Ness's mom will pop up, have a few choice words here and there. Just wait and see. And damn, thought you would've hated Shulk less. Got to get better at this intended reader emotion. And wrong about Red I tell you! Unless I'm lying, but why would I? You'll have to keep reading to find out! And the updates _might_ slow, depending on the day, how much homework I have, and if my computer is dead or not. And don't worry, Ness and Lucas will be just fine. Happy Valentine's Day!**

 **There we are guys! Should everything go according to plan, I'll be posting Chapter 15 on Tuesday sometime in the afternoon, so if you want a review reply, work as fast as you can to respond. It's awesome having the same four-eight people reviewing each chapter regularly because it means I've got some people that actually like my work surprisingly. I swear I don't bite! So yeah, thanks for reading, please review, maybe hit that favorite and follow button for me and the story if you haven't so you never miss a quick update, and see you all soon. Love you all! Happy Valentine's Day! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	15. Chapter 15: Random Invitation

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter in The Raven and the Lion, #15: Random Invitation. So... we've run into a hiccup. Updating for fanfiction (and I mean all my stories) may take a hold as my laptop is living on 0%, and that as long as it is charged in, will work, but of course I'm going to need far more suitable things to work with so I'm going to get a new laptop eventually, and hopefully- but for now we're on the thing that may not live for long, so if updates don't happen sporadically and I go days without them, you all know why, so thank you for appreciation and patience. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Nana, give me the god damn phone!"

"No," she replied, dangling the phone just out of Ness's reach as she danced around her hot pink slug bug parked in the school parking lot. "Not until you tell me what you're going to say to him."

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Because, it's my job as your best friend to make sure you don't screw things up even worse."

"I'm just going to apologize, alright."

"And?" Nana asked, her eyes narrowing at him in suspicion.

"And that's it." Well, pretty much. At least he wasn't lying to her, just not telling her the whole truth.

Hesitating for a minute, she cast one final suspicious glance his way before handing him the phone. "Alright, don't... don't fuck any things up now."

Ness quickly pulled up Nana's contacts in her phone and found Lucas's number. He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself the best he could before hitting dial.

The phone rang a few times before he got an answer.

"Hello? Nana?"

Ness's voice caught in his throat for a second as he heard Lucas on the other end of the line. Forcing the words out, he hoped to god the blonde jock didn't hang up when he realized who he was talking to.

"Not exactly."

The voice on the other end went silent for a few moments before speaking again.

"Ah. I should've known, Nathaniel."

Crap. Ness couldn't get a read on him at all. His tone was flat, and of course he couldn't see him to read his facial expression, though he highly doubted he'd be able to read him even if he could see him.

"Listen… I'm sorry about last night… I really need to talk to you."

"You are."

"In person…"

Another pause. "Nathaniel, I am not sure that would be the best idea given the circumstances."

He inhaled sharply. "I'm going to see you one way or another. I'll look you up in the phone book if I have to."

Ness could've almost sworn he heard a small chuckle on the other end of the line. "Very well. Meet me at the parking lot I took you to last weekend in twenty minutes."

"Alright."

The raven haired boy couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. He had agreed to meet with him without too much prodding, and in a private place, which meant he probably planned on talking, or at least listening to his explanation of the events that had transpired last night. Ending the phone call, Ness handed it back to an expectant Nana.

"Soooo, what did he say?"

"He agreed to meet with me."

She let out a shrill squeal. "You should totally let me come too."

"No way Nana."

"Aww, c'mon. You wouldn't have even been able to arrange this if it weren't for me."

"You can drive me there."

"Ness!" She wined, a pouty look spreading across her face.

"No. I'm sorry, dear old best friend. This is not going to be the type of conversation we'll want someone else listening in on. Besides, I could barely get Lucas to agree to meet with me alone, let alone you as well."

She let out a disappointed huff, but still seemed at least a bit pleased that she'd played a part in the meeting that had just been arranged between the two of them.

"Fine. We'd better get going, though. The last thing we want is to give him a reason to reconsider seeing you."

"Yeah…" He was on thin ice alright. Unfortunately, treading carefully wasn't exactly his strong suit.

* * *

Eighteen minutes later, Nana's hot pink slug bug pulled into the parking lot Nate had arranged to meet Lucas at. His red corvette was already there, the only car in the parking lot. The vehicle sat in lonesome silence, a death van, the caller of death with lemonade hair by the drivers wheel.

"Alright, so don't do anything stupid." Nana lectured, reiterating the words she'd spent the whole care ride drilling into his head.

"I won't. I mean, I'll try not to."

"And make sure to apologize. A lot."

"Yeah, I know... stop reminding me."

"Alright… good luck." she said, reaching up to her rear view mirror and pulling down the pink fuzzy die dangling there.

"Here. Take these with you. They're my lucky charms."

Ness raised an eyebrow at his friend, and tried not to laugh. He' d never really believed in all that superstitious stuff, though he was willing to humor her for her sake.

"Where should I put them?"

"Just…" Nana's eyes did a once over of his body before spotting the answer to her question. "Stick them in your pocket."

Ness did so, though he felt ridiculous. "Alright. I need to leave, seriously. I don't want to make him wait any longer. And you have to leave too."

"But can't I just wait in the parking lo-"

"No, you can't! I'll call you if I need a ride. It would just be… even more awkward, knowing we had an audience."

She let out another pouty huff. "Fine. Ruin all my fun."

"Sorry." he mumbled, getting out of the car and mustering up all the confidence he could.

"Good luck!" Nana yelled as he closed the car door behind him. A few seconds later he heard the hot pink slug bug drive off behind him. Good. At least he wouldn't have to worry about her being a problem.

Walking towards the red corvette, it became apparent to Ness as he grew closer that Lucas had no plans of getting out of the car. Well, then he'd just have to sit in the passenger's seat.

The raven haired boy took another deep breath, hesitating as his hand slid across the door handle. His hands were shaking so bad. Crap. He needed to do this, though. No more running away.

Pushing open the door, he slid into Lucas's car, oddly comforted by the familiar peppermint scent that welcomed him.

"Hi." Ness mumbled, stealing a quick glance at the blonde. His features were impassible, and his eyes were the same, meeting his own for a split second before the younger boy looked away.

"Hello, Nathaniel."

"Listen, I'm sorry-"

"No."

"Huh?"

"Do not apologize. You have nothing to apologize for."

"What?" Wow. That had to be the absolute last thing he'd expected him to say.

"I should not have reacted the way I did last night. I was… already aggravated from the earlier events of the day before I came to see you. I should have waited."

"From your fight with Red the night before?" Ness asked after a slight moment of hesitation.

The corner of Lucas's mouth twitched slightly. "Indeed."

"I'm sorry you got into a fight with him over me."

The jock's lips thinned slightly, drawing taunt as if he'd had a change of thought. "Do not apologize for that. That was my choice."

There was more coming. Ness could hear it in Lucas's voice. He'd grown tense, much more so than when they'd first started talking.

"Why did you lie to me about your hand?"

The raven haired boy swallowed hard, unable to meet the blonde's gaze as he focused his eyes on one of the random vacant buildings in front of him.

"I just... Red told me I couldn't tell you, it was part of the blackmail agreements."

"And are you so terribly fearful of being associated with me in that way that you'd rather do as my friend, who mind you has like zero brains, requested then tell me the truth and allow Red to do as he pleased with the note?"

Ness blinked twice, confusion spreading across his features. "No. Of course not. I mean… its just… I thought you'd be embarrassed to be seen in that way with me. I mean, I don't even know how many people know that you're gay, or bisexual, or whatever. And I'm not exactly at your level on the social food chain, if you haven't noticed."

Lucas let out a small sigh, his features softening slightly though his voice was still tense. "I've never bothered defining my sexuality to others. Let them assume what they may, it is of no concern to me what assumptions they've passed. And, as I've said before, although I have experienced many emotions concerning you, one of them has never been embarrassment, nor will it ever be."

The younger boy felt a hot flush spread across his face. Gah, couldn't he just be mean like Ness had been expecting.

"Honesty is the best policy with me, I assure you," Something tugged at the corners of Lucas's lips, what Ness could only hope was the beginning of that familiar smirk of his. "I have to say, though, I'm quite impressed that you were able to keep this from me for so long."

Ness almost smiled, but then stopped himself. He wasn't out of the woods yet. They still had to talk about the biggest problem.

"And… about Shulk… I'm sorry about him too. I mean, I'm sorry about what happened with him… between me and him… or whatever."

Lucas's features grew tense again, his jaw tightening slightly. "So, it's true then?"

The raven haired boy bit down on his lip. The only thing worse than hearing the truth from Shulk was going to be telling it to Lucas.

"Yeah… we…" Ness swallowed hard, not able to say the rest aloud, but the implication just as obvious nevertheless. Glancing over at Lucas, the young waiter realized at some point the blonde had grabbed hold of the steering wheel. He looked as if he might snap it in half, his knuckles white and his features tense, as if set in stone.

"Lucas, I'm sor-"

"Nathaniel, do not apologize for this. This was not your fault, at all. Shulk…" Obvious distaste filled his features as he said the male's name. "He should not have taken you to the party, especially not without making sure to ensure you didn't drink too much. And…" Lucas swallowed hard, his grip growing even tighter on the steering wheel. "He should not have touched you. Period."

Ness blinked twice. He wasn't mad at him? What? But…

"Aren't you mad at me?"

An odd look flashed across Lucas's face for a second before being replaced by a small smirk. "Why? Because you made the mistake of trusting someone you assumed to be a friend, and who should have looked out for your best interests instead of taking advantage of the situation."

Ness fingered the pink fuzzy die in his pocket, nervous as hell about what he was about to say. "I knew he liked me… like that."

"Do you like him?"

Studying the blonde's features, he realized he was completely controlling himself, masking all emotions.

"Would you care if I did?"

Lucas's mouth twitched slightly, as he glanced over at Ness. "How could I not?"

The young waiter felt another hot blush spread across his face as a sense of satisfaction pulse through him. He knew he shouldn't be happy Lucas would be totally jealous if he viewed Shulk in that way, but he so was.

"Well I don't, not in that way at least. He's – well, he used to be- a friend, but that's it."

"Good," Lucas said, allowing that crooked grin of his that Ness had somehow grown attached to to spread across his lips. "You know what this means, right?"

The latter raised an eyebrow, glancing over at him suspiciously. "What?"

"Well, there's only one way to make sure the rest of the world knows you're already taken by me."

Ness's stomach did a cartwheel. Was he really saying what he thought he was? Ness cleared his throat, trying not to sound as excited as he really was.

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"By dating, of course." Lucas had a crooked smirk on his face, and Ness couldn't help but laugh. Somehow, he'd spun things around to where he was in a position to tell Nate they were going to date instead of actually asking him out. That was so like him.

"So, do I have to say yes or no here?" Ness asked, a silly grin on his face that made him feel like an idiot.

Lucas glanced over at him, his smirk growing wider. "Well, you could, but it really wouldn't matter. This is, after all, a safety precaution, if nothing else."

"Oh, is it?"

"Of course. How else can I prevent guys like Shulk from taking advantage of you while I'm not around?"

Wow. So they were officially dating now. Funny, they always made such a big scene over things like this in the movies. Ness was glad, though, that Lucas had made it more of a casual thing. It felt more… comfortable this way, like nothing much had changed. After all, they'd pretty much been like a dating couple, just without the title. They'd argued over lying to one another, other people in the relationship, the whole nine yards.

A small frown crept across Ness's face as another thought forced its way into his mind, intruding on the happy moment. He couldn't stop the next thought from escaping his lips, though god knew it would put a damper on things.

"I wish it had been you."

"Huh?"

He turned five shades of red. Crap. Had he really just said that?

"The-uh-the thing. You know, with Shulk. I just…I mean, if it had to be with somebody… I'd pick you."

The smirk on Lucas's lips slipped away, replaced by a gentle smile.

"You know, Nathaniel, you will always have a peculiar innocence to you in my eyes, regardless of whatever transpired between you and Shulk," After another pause, a pensive look spread across his face. "Do you remember any of it?"

Ness would have been totally embarrassed if he had, but the problem was he didn't. "No. Nothing."

"I would not take the older man's words for face value, Nathaniel. I do not trust him. I am assuming he is the one that lead you to this conclusion, correct?"

"Yeah…" Ness mumbled, wondering where Lucas was going with this.

"Perhaps it would be wise to ask a few more people what transpired that night that were at the party as well."

"Why? You don't think Shulk lied about it, do you?"

Lucas seemed to choose his next few words carefully. "All is fair in love and war, is it not?"

Ness couldn't see Shulk lying about something like this. Ever. Then again, before that night, he wouldn't have ever been able to see having sex with him while he was drunk off his ass either.

"I guess I can try, if you really want me to. But I don't know any of the people there. I remember where the party was held, though."

"I don't want you going without me." Lucas stressed, concern spreading across his face. A warm feeling made its way into Ness's chest. He had to admit, he felt safe around the blonde. If he had been with him at that party, he knew none of this would have ever happened.

"Alright. Wait- why weren't you at school today?"

Lucas started the car and began to pull out of the parking lot. "Another safety precaution. Not for you this time, but for Red."

Ness's brows furrowed in confusion.

"You see, Nathaniel, it is quite difficult to genuinely upset me, but when you do…" He paused for a second, as if searching for the right words. "Lets just say it is not a wise choice."

The raven haired boy raised an eyebrow at Lucas. "Are you trying to tell me you have anger issues?"

"No. But sometimes I do things that I later come to regret, such as what happened at the diner a few nights ago."

"Yeah, but I mean, everyone does that sometimes."

"Indeed, but sometimes it is not a matter of whether the emotion is present or not as it is how capable the person is of acting on the emotion."

Ness couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, you worked Red over pretty good. Which reminds me, are you alright? I mean, did you get checked out by a doctor and everything?"

Mild amusement spread across Lucas's face as he glanced over at Ness. "Such measures are not necessary. You are quite cute when you're worried, though. Perhaps I should get into fights more often."

The waiter blushed and scowled at the same time. "I'm serious Lucas. You should at least let me take a look at you to make sure you don't have any broken bones or anything."

"Perhaps, that could be fun." the blonde jock said, a suggestive smile spreading across his face.

Ness's blush deepened. Wow, had it just gotten a lot hotter in the car?

"What did you tell your parents?"

An odd look flashed across Lucas's face for a second before being replaced by the composed look he had grown accustomed to. "Nothing. My parents are dead."

Holy crap. Ness had so not been expecting that. "I-uh- I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

Ness waited for Lucas to elaborate, but when he didn't, he realized he'd definitely hit on a tender subject that should be saved for another day. They'd already gone over a week's worth of serious issues.

"So then, who do you live with?"

"I live by myself."

Well, didn't that explain a lot. The independence. The confidence. The overall feeling that Lucas was a lot more mature than normal guys his age were. Ness wanted to ask how long he'd been living by himself, and the whole story behind that situation, but knew the blonde would volunteer the information if he wanted to talk about it right now. To be honest, he was surprised he'd gotten this much out of him.

"My mom's a nurse," Ness explained, changing the subject. "So I pretty much know how to treat minor stuff- wait, where are we going?" He'd just realized they weren't headed back towards the school, which made sense, considering there was only about forty minutes left till it ended.

"It's a surprise," Lucas mused, a smirk spreading across his face again. "Do you have to be home by a certain time?"

"No." Ness said, not really knowing the answer to his question but honestly not really caring. He needed this time with just him and Lucas right now. He would deal with his mother and whatever fit she might throw over his curfew later.

"So, if we're dating, does that mean you'll be giving me a ride home every day?"

"And to school," Lucas added, a wide smirk spreading across his face. "I'd also like to drive you to and from work. Taking the bus is rather dangerous at that time of night, you know."

That silly smile crept onto Ness's face again. He wasn't used to someone being all… worried and protective. It was a major turn on, and made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside at the same time.

"And lunches?"

"Well, I assume you'll still want to hang out with Nana, seeing as she's your best friend and all. However, I still expect to see you after school on your days off for the study sessions you agreed to."

Yeah. Because the last study session had been so productive. Not that Ness could complain. In fact, he hoped the rest of their study sessions went like that. Except hopefully in the future, they'd be somewhere more private. Yup. Where they could have a lot more fun _studying._

Suddenly, Ness realized the red corvette had come to a stop in front of… some sort of higher end high-rise apartments.

"Is this… where you live?"

"Yes," Lucas said, getting out and motioning for Ness to follow. "I hope you're not afraid of heights."

* * *

 **There we are guys! Chapter 15 is done! I think my laptop will last on this 0% thing as long as I don't take it off the charger... so yeah. Don't want to minimize time on this, so quick update- Lucas and Ness still haven't kissed and we're fifteen chapters in. About time we fix that, right? Review replies~**

 **mother-sins- In due times, my friend, due times. And of course you do, Ness and Lucas will get around to more than that. And thank you, that means a lot to me!**

 **SolarEnergy07- Same for above. Due time my friend, get your vendetta revenge or whatever will come.**

 **Ender2412- I really think I'm gonna do a new Lucas x Ness about that, typos under the cover when one is texting the other and trying to hide it so they're in a hurry. That'd be really cute. Lol, no one is gonna top Lucas or Ness. I like Lucas the most in the story, same for Cross Examined actually. It does? I still think Shulk is the worst, personally. Red can be redeemed. And the blonde lovely jock is back!**

 **YuukixMitsuru- Well, it's not like Ness is a doormat, he's growing a spine! The stuff is amazing man, I read your latest stuff too. And yeah, there isn't Yaoi everywhere, we need straight guys too lol. And thanks!**

 **Sorry the replies were a tad bit shorter, but I've got to head. Love you all. Thanks for reading and reviewing! I love you guys! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	16. Chapter 16: A House, Not A Home

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #16: A House, Not A Home. Time for our hearts to dramatically soar and all this amazing crap that'll make no sense at the very end but why the F not! I suppose the question is that we've got to discuss now is... Ness and Lucas are dating, yes or no? Have we officially announced it? Eventually we'll get to that point so prepare yourself (... hey, Ike quote!). Time for more cliché love action stuff.**

* * *

"Holy… shit… where the hell do you live, the 50th floor?" Ness asked in between wheezes. He felt like they'd been walking up the stairs for hours. He hadn't understood why Lucas had insisted on taking the stairs instead of the elevator, but figured he might as well humor him since technically they'd just gotten over their last fight.

"No," the blonde jock responded, not at all out of breath as he glanced over his shoulder at the raven haired boy, an amused look on his face. "Actually, we passed my apartment fifteen floors back."

"What! Are you freakin' kidding me! What the hell are we doing then?"

"Nathaniel, I never said I was taking you back to my apartment." Lucas mused, pausing as Ness stopped a few feet behind him.

He shot him a suspicious glance. In truth, he was kind of disappointed. He'd wanted to see where the older guy lived, especially seeing as he lived by himself.

"But… I need to use the restroom." Alright. So maybe it was a lie. But wasn't it Lucas that had said all was fair in love and war.

The blonde didn't seem to believe him, not even for a second, but changed course anyways, pushing open a nearby door and leading Ness to an elevator. Fifteen floors later, they were standing in front of door #294, which Lucas unlocked and pushed open in one swift movement, leading the way in.

The first thing that Ness noticed as he stepped into his apartment was the strong yet pleasant peppermint scent Lucas always seemed to smell of. The second was the furniture, or rather lack of. There were only a few pieces of furniture in what Ness could only assume was his living room. All the end tables were glass, the furniture either black or white, and the walls a matching white in accordance with the carpet. The lamps were chrome, as was the plasma t.v. angled against the wall parallel to the only couch in the room. There was also a black bookshelf to the left of the t.v., but that was pretty much it as far as furniture went. The kitchen was adjoined to the living room on the right side, filled with chrome appliances.

Everything looked so… clean. Almost like it hadn't been lived in. Except Ness knew that was ridiculous.

"Nathaniel? Do you still need to use the restroom?" Lucas asked, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"No-not really." He actually wanted to explore the rest of the apartment, seeing as he'd learned nothing more about the blonde from the décor of his house so far.

"What a coincidence," he mused, the tone in his voice calling Ness's bluff. The waiter couldn't understand why he'd agreed to bring him here if he'd seen through his lie. "It's just as well. I should probably use the restroom."

Ness nodded as Lucas disappeared behind a nearby door. Hesitating, he slowly made his way over to the bookshelf to his far left. Filling through the collecting, the raven haired boy paused, utterly confused. These were grammar books. All of them. What the hell? Hesitating, he pulled away from the bookshelf and glanced at the only other door in the apartment besides the one Lucas had disappeared behind and the one they'd entered. That had to be his bedroom.

A quick peek wouldn't hurt, right? After all, Lucas had already seen what his bedroom looked like, so it was only fair…

Creeping past the bathroom door, Ness slowly pushed open the bedroom door, taking his time to make sure it didn't creak. The bedroom looked similar to the living room, sparsely furnished with a bed at one end and a dresser at the other. Tip-toeing his way over, Ness slowly pulled open the top drawer to the dresser. It was completely empty. He proceeded to do the same on the second, and found it was empty as well. The third drawer, however, had a small book placed neatly in its center that looked nothing like the ones he'd seen on the dresser in his living room.

"Looking for something?"

Ness jumped at least two feet in the air, slamming the draw shut and spinning on his heels. Lucas was standing there, leaning against the doorway with a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"I-uh-no. How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough."

He blushed furiously. He hadn't realized he'd been in here all that long.

"You didn't really think I needed to use the restroom, did you?"

Ness's eye's narrowed. Of course, he should have picked up on the fact that it was just a little too convenient Lucas had to use the restroom when he had been the one to suggest it in the first place.

"So, what, was this just like a test or something? To see if I'd snoop?" If it was, he'd definitely failed.

"Oh no," the blonde responded, his smirk growing even wider. "I knew you'd snoop. I was just curious as to whether or not you'd go as far as to explore my bedroom."

The blush on Ness's face grew even redder. He knew he shouldn't have come in here. He hadn't even found anything except that stupid book, and he hadn't had enough time to open that.

"So what? Maybe I was just a little bit curious or whatever. It doesn't mean anything."

"Indeed." Lucas mused, his tone implying he felt exactly the opposite.

Gah. He really needed to change the topic. It was bad enough that he was with him in his bedroom, alone.

"So where are all your clothes and stuff?" Ness asked, motioning to the empty drawers.

Lucas nodded his head in the direction of the closet Ness had been so quick to overlook. Crap. Still, though, it was weird to have a whole dresser completely empty except for one book. He knew the blonde jock had more than enough money to furnish and decorate the place lavishly, so why had he decided to leave it so empty?

"And what's with all the grammar books in the living room?"

His crush's mouth twitched slightly, though his gaze stayed the same. His body had tensed, though, and Ness could tell he was having to control whatever initial reaction he had had to his question.

"They were my mother's. She was an English teacher."

Ness had never put much though into the why's of the way Lucas spoke. He'd just figured it was a habit he'd picked up, though god knew where, kind of like slang or cursing.

"I, ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up again."

Lucas shook his head, a slightly bored expression crossing his face. Ness would have believed it too, if he hadn't known better.

"You had no way of knowing. She was always a stickler for grammar and such. Even at a young age, she would correct me every time I spoke."

He shifted from one foot to another, still feeling bad for bringing the subject up. "So, what's with this place? I mean, I don't really know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this."

"What? You don't like all the black and white?" Lucas asked, sarcasm thick in his voice.

Ness shot him a glare. "You know what I mean."

"Do I?"

He rolled his eyes. "This place. It's pretty empty. I mean, I know you have money, Lucas, so you could fill it with whatever you want. But, it's like, stripped down to just the basics."

The older boy shrugged, a nonchalant expressions spreading across his face. "I told you I lived here Nathaniel. That is it. This is a house, not a home."

Something about the way he'd said that hit Ness hard. Of course, because a home implied attachment, and personal belongings. And people to share it with. But there was none of that here.

"You know, sometime, if you'd like, you could come over and have dinner with my mom and I. She's probably going to want to meet you at some point anyways." He didn't like the idea of Lucas eating dinner every day in this empty apartment, alone.

The blonde raised an eyebrow at him. "And what would we tell her, Nathaniel. That I'm tutoring you in sex ed as well as math?"

Ness felt a hot flush spread across his face. He had a point, though. Not telling his mother he was gay was really going to make things difficult when he wanted to have Lucas over.

"I guess… I'll just have to be honest with her."

Mr. Jock and Handsome Richards smiled one of his genuine smiles, the kind that Ness barely ever got to see, pushing himself off the doorway and slowly walking over to him.

"Are you sure you're ready for that?"

Ness took a deep breath, knowing if he committed himself to this, there was no way Lucas was going to let him off the hook.

"Yes."

* * *

Shulk turned the engine off in his car, wringing Ness's shirt in his hand anxiously.

What the hell was taking the two of them so long? And why were they even speaking in the first place? They weren't supposed to even be able to stand the sight of each other, let alone have a little alone time together in Lucas's house.

He'd been keeping tabs on the raven haired boy all day, wanting to make sure things went as planned and all. He'd followed Ness and Nana to the empty parking lot, parking a block away but still close enough to realize Ness had gotten into Lucas's car on his own free will. Then he'd followed them here, which he could only assume was the blonde jock's house. He already knew where Ness lived, so it wasn't all that hard to figure out the rest. Which meant now the two of them were up in Lucas's apartment, alone.

Screw this. They'd been up there for at least forty-five minutes. And a lot could happen it that large time span of minutes. If he knew which one was Lucas's apartment, he would have already gone there and knocked the door down. It was probably a good thing he didn't, though. He'd have no way of explaining why he was here.

Maybe he couldn't just go storming into his apartment, but he sure as hell had no plans to leave until Ness came out of that apartment. He'd wait however long it took.

Taking out his phone, he shot Red a quick text.

 _Looks like we've got a problem._

* * *

 **God, Shulk really won't let this boy go, will he? Damn, its ridiculous. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thanks so much for reading, it really means a lot to me to have gotten a chapter out on a computer that is actually living at 0% as long as I don't take it off the charger (like... what in the hell, that's weird, no?) Reviews!**

 **Croac- Ah gracias. Me alegro de verte de nuevo la lectura , sus comentarios son muy bien apreciados. Que tengas un gran día. (Mi habla un poco Espanol.)**

 **Ender2412- Yes, I responded above in Spanish! Taking it at school + Google Translate is very well my friend. And you're welcome, I may actually write the piece for a small little contest that could come up or a gift (when is your birthday dude, birthday gift!) And are we sure they be official, they haven't even fully kissed yet, or held hands or anything! And good to know Nana's pink dice is so her. I would recommend listening to some songs by a wonderful artist named Sara Bareillis, particularly a piece called Islands that has just... just the right tone and seriousness that you may need. Need more? PM me. Wait... you read on your 3DS? No laptop or computer or phone?**

 **YuukixMitsuru- Interesting? That's all? ...nah, I'm just kidding, thank you for the single word of knowledge anyways. And you'll understand eventually why Lucas didn't blow up at Ness, as he cares to much for him and I mean he truly does, beyond what is of the norm. And hahahaha, you're welcome. It just means you're a great writer. Accept it!**

 **mother-sins- How does a teapot relate to fanfiction...? You mean like crying? Lord, hope you're okay!**

 **There we are guys! Chapter 16! With Shulk and Red now on the prowl, will our lovely little couple get back to where they were originally or not? Let's find out next chapter! Thanks for reading you guys, it means so much to know that this story is close to 2000 views (I think it _may_ have passed over, I'm not to sure...), but lemme check and I'll rave about it next time. Please review and let me know what you thought, I love replying to your comments and all that somesuch beauty. For my replies in other languages, I'll use Google Translate to respond. Thank you so much. Have a great day! Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	17. Chapter 17: Red's Epiphany

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #17: Red's Epiphany, so clearly this chapter will feature some Red, which means uh oh, what's wrong now? So, back in the original, this chapter was the same title only because I loved it so much- one of the few things that's the same in the original, like "hell yeah!" Lol. It's time to see if our original couple can mend their broken stars and take some time to love each other, let's go! Enjoy!**

* * *

"So, were exactly are we going?" Ness asked, obviously displeased that they were yet again climbing stairs.

"Were almost there." Lucas called over his shoulder, pausing as he reached the top landing to the final flight of stairs. A few seconds later, the younger boy joined him, completely out of breath.

"Having a bit of difficulty, are we?" the blonde asked, an amused look on his face as he took in the sight of Ness gasping for breath.

The raven haired boy glared up at him, his hands on his knees as he fought to catch his breath. "Oh shut up."

Lucas chuckled, pushing open the door and holding it open for Ness. "I wouldn't want to strain you anymore than you already are."

He scowled up at him, but proceeded forward through the open door. They were… on top of the roof? Holy crap, they were up high. Like, seriously drop-to-your-death high. There was only one building higher up than they were, the lot of brick apartments to the right lying parallel to them. At least he thought they were brick. It was pretty hard to make out in the dark.

He heard Lucas follow after him as the door closed with a light click.

"What the hell are we doing up here?"

Ness flinched as the jock's hand passed over his shoulder, pointing to the right. He squinted, trying to make out what Lucas was pointing to. It was so dark out by now that he couldn't see worth shit.

"Here," his crush said, sensing Ness's confusion as he led the way over to the area he'd been pointing to. There was a large feather down blanket spread out neatly across the rooftop, and a basket sitting to its left.

"Uh….?" Ness stared down at the blanket, not really sure what Lucas expected him to do with some blanket in the dark while they were on a rooftop.

"Sit…" Lucas invited, making him jump slightly. Holy crap. He hadn't realized how close he was.

Ness swallowed hard, wanting to ask questions but deciding it'd be best to just sit down and see what the hell Lucas was up to this time.

He could hear his footsteps sound behind him as the darkness engulfed him. After a few short clicks, Ness turned his head, realizing some type of image was being projected on the wall of the brick building parallel to the rooftop.

The familiar Disney icon flashed across the building before the title appeared… _Finding Nemo_? Oh shit.

No. He. Hadn't. This was both Ness's all time favorite movie and dirty little secret… well, this and his piggy slippers. He knew Nana must've blabbed. She was the only one he'd ever dared to tell. A teenage boy should be into something more… appropriate, like The Matrix, or The Gladiator. Not this. Not something made to entertain five year old girls.

His only saving grace had to be the darkness that would hide his blush, at least for the most part. The castoff light from the projector might give him away, though. Crap.

"Don't tell me you've had a sudden change of heart." Lucas mused, taking a seat to the left of Ness as he picked up the basket and put it between them.

"I don't know what you're talking about." the raven haired boy fibbed, biting his lip. There was no way he was willingly going to admit his embarrassing fondness for _Finding Nemo_.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you my favorite movie was Bambi?"

"Really?"

"No. But I could pretend it was."

Ness rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile. It was sweet, in Lucas's own little way.

"Here." the blonde said, opening the basket he'd put between them. It was filled with all the little goodies you'd expect to see in any movie theater, ranging from m&m's to twizzlers to popcorn. So, this was their first date as an official couple.

It was nice, Ness mused to himself as he reached for a bag of twizzlers. He could've just taken him to some jam-packed movie theater where they wouldn't have any privacy, and would probably end up seeing the latest over-rated, lame-ass slasher movie.

It did, however, create one little problem.

Ness had seen this movie, like, a gazillion times. He knew every line by heart, and could've probably even recited them in his sleep. There was something, or rather someone, however, he found much more interesting than whatever was flashing up on that brick makeshift screen.

Lucas was sitting right next to him, the two of them alone, on the rooftop. The starry night sky really wasn't helping. Nor was the moonlight, or the way it seemed to illuminate his face at just the right angle.

And what made it worse, Lucas didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that they were sitting here, alone, actually watching the movie instead of having a little hormone fueled fun. Ness could feel his fingers curl inward as his body tensed. Gah. This was absolutely killing him.

Why the hell did he have to be such a gentleman about all this? For once, Ness wished the blonde could be like a normal teenage boy, and take advantage of the fact that him and his date were alone in the dark with no one to see where hands wandered and lips explored.

He tried to keep his eyes on the screen, he really did, but willpower wasn't exactly his strong suit, especially when it came to Lucas.

He really did have nice arms. Not too big, but just toned enough. And his hair was definitely run-your-fingers-through worthy. Ness wondered absentmindedly if it would smell like whatever shampoo he used. Probably some sort of clean scent, like-

"Nathaniel."

He snapped his head away from Erik and back to the screen. Crap. He'd so been caught.

"Are you not enjoying the movie?"

Ness blushed furiously. "No-I mean yes. I am. I'm enjoying the movie."

The waiter could feel Lucas's eyes on him, studying his face for a second before averting his gaze back to the screen. He had to know. I mean, c'mon. He could always tell every other time he lied. Nat wished, just this one time, Lucas wouldn't believe his lie.

It wasn't like he could just come out and say _Yeah, so I'm horny. Can we mess around now?_

Sixty-five torturous minutes later, the credits rolled in front of them, Lucas still the same distance away from Ness he'd been at the movies start.

"I suppose I should take you home now-"

"Why haven't you kissed me yet?" Shit. Had he really just said that?

Lucas turned his head to the side so that he was facing Ness. He could barely make out a suggestive smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Well, I'll definitely have to remember that _Finding Nemo_ turns you on for future reference."

The raven haired boy shot the blonde a frustrated glare. " _Finding Nemo_ does not turn me on. You do."

Oh man. He really needed to keep his mouth closed, because he was digging himself a grave here.

"Do I?"

"Oh please, like you don't freaking know. Do you get off on seeing me squirm, Lucas, because I'm really starting to think it might be some sort of sick fetish of yours?"

"Well, I wouldn't go that far."

Ness stood up, too flustered to remain sitting. "Stop it! I'm serious. You think it's funny that I'm sitting over here wanting to make out or whatever while you're sitting there with just about as much interest in me as you'd show reading the freakin' newspaper!"

Lucas stood up at that, raising an eyebrow at him. "And what exactly has led you to this conclusion, Nathaniel?"

"You haven't even touched me once."

"Neither have you."

"Yeah, okay. Well you haven't even freakin' looked at me this whole time!"

"I'm looking at you now."

"Yeah, but not like that."

"Are you sure about that, Nathaniel?"

Ness flushed, crossing his arms in front of him. "If you wanted to kiss me, you would've done it by now."

"No. I wouldn't have."

"Yes you would have. You'd have no reason to wait."

"Really now? Did it ever occur to you that I may be trying to refrain from doing so because of what happened between you and Shulk? I didn't want you to feel pressured, like I'm sure you did with him. I wanted to allow you to take it as far as you were comfortable with, and no further."

Ness blinked, his face going lax. Well, didn't that just make him look like the biggest asshole in the world. He let out a heavy sigh, feeling like a total jerk.

"I'm sorry- I didn't- I just."

"What? You thought I asked you out with no intentions of pursuing a romantic relationship with you?"

"No. I mean…" Alright. So maybe he was a little right. After all that had happened, Ness still found it hard to believe Lucas was interested in him like that. Which, of course, was why he'd reacted so strongly.

"It's just, everyone knows your hot and everything, Lucas. When people see us together, you know what they'll all probably think. What the hell is the amazing blonde jock doing with him? He could do so much better."

Lucas took a few steps forward, covering the distance between him and Ness. "Nathaniel, I think we both know that the problem isn't that that's what everyone else is going to think, though I strongly disagree with that. The problem is that this is what you think."

Well, wasn't this just great. He was sexually frustrated and had an inferiority complex, all of which he was dumping onto his new boyfriend on their first date. Yeah, that would totally set the mood. He'd officially blown it, gone and ruined the whole night with all his baggage.

"I'm sorry… alright... I'm just-"

Ness's words were cut off by a soft, warm touch as Lucas's lips brushed against his. It lasted only for a split second, but that was more than enough to make his stomach do a back-flip and his heart skip a beat. He felt a dizzying sensation that made him feel week in the knees, but in a good way that he'd never felt before.

The raven haired boy found himself leaning forward, his body wanting more of whatever had just happened. If only he could wipe the silly grin that had spread across his face from his lips.

"Nathaniel."

Lucas had pulled away slightly, so that he was still close enough for Nate to feel a warm wave of peppermint wash over him but far enough so that he could look him in the eyes.

"I need you to do something."

Ness nodded his head. At this point, he would have agreed to just about anything. That kiss had him on some kind of euphoric high he'd never felt before. It has been so much better than the kiss he'd had with him back in the closet.

Maybe it was because this time he knew it was Lucas, or maybe it was because this time, it actually meant something. The jock wasn't being forced or dared to do it. He was doing it because he wanted to. Because he wanted him.

"Trust me. Believe me when I tell you I want nothing more than to keep you up all night having fun the way lovers do. I want to do this the right way, though. Because _you_ are important to me, not just what you can give to me."

Ness swallowed hard. There he went again, saying shit that made him all the more sure he didn't deserve him. But hell, maybe it was like winning the lottery. You didn't decline the money because you hadn't earned it and were undeserving. You cashed in and acknowledged the fact that this was probably the luckiest you were going to get in your entire life.

"Alright. I mean, I'm going to try. Really hard." And he meant it, too. If anyone was worth trying to let his guard down and make himself vulnerable, it was Lucas

"So, I suppose we should probably take you home before your mother calls the cops on me for kidnapping." the blonde mused, a small smirk spreading across his face.

Ness laughed, knowing his mother was probably just crazy enough to do that. "Well, she doesn't exactly know I'm with you. I haven't called her yet."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Then I suppose we'll have to make up some sort of believable story on the way there."

Ness grinned. It was nice to be in on one of Lucas's lies for once. They were finally working as a team… no, not a team, a couple.

* * *

Red glanced over at the whole he punched in the wall moments earlier, then down at his bloody knuckles. He had to have some way to channel his anger after he'd gotten that nice little text from Shulk.

The raven haired faggot and the blonde indecisive jock had apparently gone back to Lucas's apartment after school… and stayed there. His mind was reeling with all the possibilities of what they might be doing. Lucky him, his mind kept going back to the same thought. They had to be screwing each other. What else would keep them entertained for that long?

God damn it! So much for Shulk's stupid little plan. Looks like he needed to go back to his past time of breaking bones and intimidation and blackmail. Or maybe he'd just fuck that stupid little brown haired voice box that had gotten in between him and Ness earlier.

Yeah, that would be a nice little touch. If Ness was going to screw his best friend, than what could Red do but return the favor.

* * *

 **And there we are guys! Ness and Lucas have finally kissed! Well... I mean they did in the 1st chapter too, but that didn't count as they weren't a couple. Do you guys like the choice of Ness's favorite film being Finding Nemo? It is one of my favorite Pixar films (Anyone with me on that? Yes? Awesome! Although, I love Incredibles too... and Inside Out, which is like my favorite now, but whatever lol). Review replies~**

 **Ender2412- I don't think Shulk is ever redeemable in your eyes, especially if he's still alive... Wow! Happy birthday dude, when it gets there! I'll make sure to post a chapter for this story on that day, just for you! Did you like the song? It's one of my favorites, just the way she sings causes me to have shivers erupt all over my body. Lucas is a deep character, he's the most intricate one out of all them. Someone so simple like Ness dating a guy like Lucas, it's backwards. Music sometimes does, but I normally listen to Video Game OST's, preferably Pokemon.**

 **Derpyburp- Oh, hello! And that's no problem, haha, you just reading in general makes my heart explode in happiness. I'm glad you like this story! Cross Examined, although the writing quality is pretty bad, the role reversal isn't there, but I made Lucas a much more strong character than usual canon does, if you haven't read it yet and wish too.** **bladewielder05- Hey Blade! Good to see you peeking your head around again. You're right, it's why I kept Shulk in this position. I didn't want to use Snake and Captain Falcon as that is purely overused for a creepy male stalker, and then Shulk popped up in my head as someone not overdone or hardly used, so I did! Hmm... I haven't thought why. Usually, a nickname for Nathaniel is Nate, but that's ordinary. Ness couldn't really be a nickname for... Nessathaniel right? Thanks for reading the chapter!**

 **SolarEnergy07- No problem! You have no reason to feel sorry or to let me know why you didn't review, business is business and private matters is private matters, so I'm perfectly alright with that. Sure, happy to have you back too! Shulk is pretty creepy, I did it on purpose.**

 **mother-sins- The analogy didn't make much sense, sorry. *sheepishly grins* Oh wait, you hiss. Duh. I don't think Shulk leaving Ness alone will be that simple, sorry. And awwwww thank you, that means so much! The story is simple, personally, but I'm glad you think that. Welcome for the kiss. :p**

 **Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and you'll see another one on the 22nd! Have a great day! Love you all! You're the best! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	18. Chapter 18: Danger

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #18: Danger, and I'm super excited for it. Last time, we had Lucas and Ness kiss, and Red has now decided to do something a little out of ordinary (maybe...). I'm not really feeling it (HA!) to make AN's, so enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Ness stalled for time, fidgeting in the passenger seat of Lucas's red corvette parked outside his house.

"So, the whole _Finding Nemo_ thing, did you actually pick the movie because you knew it was my favorite, or were you just trying to bore the hell out of me so I'd get all… frustrated?"

Yup. The _sexually_ frustrated part of it was implied.

Lucas glanced over at him, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Nathaniel, I would hope that by now you would know that my intentions are only the purest."

Ness snorted. Well, that was definitely a yes.

"Yeah. Pure. Of course," he replied sarcastically, averting his gaze from Lucas for a minute to the small light in his living room window. "So what are we going to tell my mom?"

"Well, she still believes I'm your tutor. We simply tell her today's study session ran late."

"Until 1:00 a.m.? Yeah right."

"Not so implausible if we tell her on our way home, my car broke down and we had to wait till AAA came out and diagnosed the problem."

Ness paused for a minute before shooting the blonde a suspicious glance. "You know, your way too good at this whole lying thing."

"Am I? " Lucas mused, letting out a small chuckle.

"That's not necessarily a compliment."

"It's a little too late into our date for flattery, don't you think? If you were hoping to use it to get in my pants, you probably should've tried sweet talking me sometime back on the rooftop."

"Oh shut up." Ness mumbled, flushing five shades of red as he rolled his eyes, glancing towards the front door to his house again.

"You know, if we sit out here long enough, I'm almost sure your mother's going to suspect we have something to hide."

"Yeah… I guess we should go in now…" the raven haired boy could feel the anxious anticipation of whatever was awaiting him on the other side of that door clawing at his insides.

"Don't worry Nathaniel, just let me do the talking. Your mother seems to have already taken quite a liking to me."

Ness wrinkled his noise. "Yeah, well, I suppose you can probably be quite charming when you're not being such a pain in the ass."

"I'm glad you think so." Lucas said, a suggestive smile spreading across his face.

"I'm not," Ness mumbled, stubbornly crossing his arms. "If you weren't, maybe I wouldn't be in this situation in the first place." Alright. So maybe that wasn't entirely true, but he needed some way to channel all his anxiety.

"Are you regretful?"

The younger boy blinked, surprised by the question, but even more surprised by the answer coming out of his mouth. "No. Not at all."

Lucas paused, a small smile spreading across his face. "Good. Then I suppose we'd better go explain things to your mother now."

Ness nodded, following the blonde up the walkway and then using his house key to unlock the front door.

"Nathaniel, where have you-!" Ness's mother paused mid sentence as she registered the fact that her son had a visitor with him.

"Hello, nice to see you again." the jock said, his voice filled with just enough charm to ease the worry from Ness's mother's face, but not too much that it came off as phony.

"Yes, it's very nice to see you again too. I'm sorry you had to hear that little outburst."

He almost gagged. Either his mother was being a big fake and putting on a show because he'd brought a guest with him, or she had really taken a liking to Lucas.

"No apology necessary. In fact, I should be the one apologizing. I'm sorry for bringing Nathaniel home so late. You see, our study session ran rather late, and then we had car troubles on the way home."

"Ah," Ness's mother's eyes drifted from Lucas to her son. "Well, this isn't your fault, Lucas. I'm sure you weren't aware of Nathaniel's curfew. Nathaniel, the least you could have done was call me and tell me you had a study date planned, or that the two of you were having car troubles. I would have come and picked you up."

"It's really my fault. Nathaniel did tell me about his curfew, but I lost track of time in between algebra and geometry lessons. If I hadn't insisted on fitting in a few more lessons tonight, I'm sure Nathaniel would have probably arrived home on time."

Ness's mother seemed to hesitate for a moment, contemplating his words before letting out a sigh of resignation. "Very well. I suppose as long as he was with you and your parents, he was in good hands."

Of course, because the school had supposedly recommended him as a tutor for Ness, so _naturally_ he must come from a respectable background. He hated how his mother always made assumptions like that. Kind of like how she assumed the only gay guys were the ones who flounced around in hot pink tutus and high heels. Yup. Wouldn't she be surprised.

Ness's eyes flickered from his mother to Lucas as she mentioned his parents. Why hadn't he said anything about his parents being dead? He wondered if it was for the sake of the lie, or if he made a habit of leaving people to their assumptions in concern to his private life.

"Well, I suppose I should probably be going then."

"I'll walk you out to your car." Ness volunteered, glancing over at his mother to gauge her reaction. She didn't seem suspicious, though he knew she'd be watching him from the living room window till he was back inside the safety of these four walls. Which kind of depleted the whole point of walking Lucas out to his car anyways. He sure as hell wasn't going to be able to get a goodnight kiss out of the blonde jock if his mother was watching.

Opening the door, Lucas took a few steps down the walkway and froze mid stride.

"Nathaniel, go back inside of your house. Now."

"What?"

"Lock the door behind you."

"What the hell are you talking a-"

And then Ness spotted it. In the short period of time that they'd been inside his house, someone had keyed Lucas's care, broken in the windows, and slashed the tires. Crap. They must've been too wrapped up in convincing his mom of their little lie to notice what was going on outside.

"Nathaniel, go. Now."

"There's no way in hell I'm leaving you out here to-"

"Oh my!" Ness heard his mother scream from behind. Great. Now she would be all freaked out too.

"Boys, get back in here now!"

Ness grabbed onto Lucas's hand, dragging him back into the house. There was no way he was going to let him play hero and end up beat to shit like his car. He'd already been worked over pretty good by Red, which was still something he needed to address.

His mother locked the door securely behind them before telling the two boys to stay inside and going into the kitchen to call the police.

"Nathaniel, I think it would be best if I left now."

"Are you crazy! Somebody wanted to send you a message loud and clear, Lucas."

"Indeed. "

"Then why the hell are you talking like that?"

"I can handle this, Nathaniel. "

"Like you handled Red? 'Cause we both know that turned out _great_."

"I don't see any problem with how things turned out."

"Have you looked in the mirror! You have a black eye and god knows what else because of it!"

Lucas lowered his tone, pausing for a second to close the curtains in the living room window before continuing.

"Nathaniel, have you ever thought about the fact that by being here, I'm putting you and your mother in danger as well. Whoever trashed my care obviously holds a personal vendetta against me, which means me being here may make you a potential target as well."

Ness blinked, not having thought about that. "Lucas… where the hell do you even think you can go? I mean, I doubt your car works now."

The blonde glanced towards the door, as if anxious to leave. "I have my wallet with me. I could walk to the closest bus stop and take the bus home from there."

"It's 1 a.m. You can't just go strolling through the city. It's dangerous, Lucas, even if you don't take into consideration that there's someone out there who definitely doesn't like you."

"Yes, well, it's my problem to deal with. Not yours."

"The hell it isn't! So if the situation were reversed, you'd just throw me out on my ass?"

"Things would be different then."

"How?"

"Nathaniel, you know very well how."

"No. I don't." Ness said, crossing his arms stubbornly.

The jock let out an exasperated sigh. "This is not the time and place for that conversation. Right now, I need to leave."

"Absolutely not." Ness and Lucas both snapped their heads towards the doorway leading into the kitchen, not having realized that his mother had come back into the room.

"I'm quite grateful for your hospitality, but I really have a previous engagement I need to attend to."

"At this time in the morning?" Ness shot, not easing up at all.

"Just let us drive you home, dear," Ness's mother insisted. "Besides, the cops are on their way. They're going to want to take a statement from you."

Lucas sighed, realizing there was no way the two of them were going to let him have his way.

"Alright. Thank you, both of you. Let me go out and assess the damage, at least."

Ness narrowed his eyes. Something in the jock's tone sounded off.

"I'll come with you," Ness said, following on Lucas's heels.

"Wait! Boys don't-" Too late. Lucas had already pushed open the front door and was practically jogging down the walkway. Ness had to run just to keep up.

"Lucas, what the hell are you doing?"

He turned on his heels. "Get back inside, now."

"No! Not until you come back into the house with me and tell me what's going on-"

"Nathaniel! Lucas! Both of you get back in here this instant." Ness's mother was yelling at the top of her lungs in the doorway, no doubt waking up all their neighbors.

Lucas cursed under his breath. He did a quick once over of the car, his eyes coming to rest on a small white envelope in the driver's seat. In one swift movement, he scooped the envelop up and pocketed it just out of Ness's mother's view.

Just as quickly, he grabbed hold of Ness, ushering him back inside the house and following suit.

"What did you just pick-"

Ness was silenced by one look from Lucas. He definitely wanted to keep whatever it was between the two of them.

A few minutes later, the cops arrived and drew up an official police report after taking a statement from Lucas. Ness listened in silence, taking note of the fact that he never mentioned the envelope. All of the neighbors within a mile radius had amassed, either peering through their windows or comming out of their houses to see what was going on. Ness highly doubted they'd heard anything either, seeing as most people were sound asleep or in their beds at 1 a.m. And even if they had, he couldn't see any of them speaking up. Who'd want to get involved in something like this? If they'd seen or heard anything, they were going to keep it to themselves.

Finally, by the time Ness's mother pulled up in front of Lucas's apartment, it was a little past 3 a.m. Crap. They both had to wake up in three hours for school.

"Mom, can I walk Lucas up to-"

"No," Lucas answered, cutting Ness off. "Then you'd have to walk back alone. Thank you for the ride. I'll see you later today, Nathaniel." And at that, Lucas left, swiftly making his way into the apartment complex.

Ness wasn't sure what the hell had just happened, but he knew he didn't like it. Not one bit. Someone had a serious problem with Lucas, and they were obviously willing to resort to physical violence. Lucas was keeping something from him, maybe a few things. What was in the god damn envelope, and why didn't he want him to see it?

Mostly, though, what bothered Ness was the fact that his boyfriend was going to be back in his apartment tonight, alone. If whoever had trashed Lucas's car knew where he lived, that could be a serious problem. He'd been tempted to ask his mother to let Lucas stay the night, and perhaps a few days just until things cooled down, but he knew the blonde so wouldn't agree to that.

He had already freaked out about just being at Ness's house when the whole incident went down, which had honestly annoyed the hell out of Ness. He wasn't worried about someone coming after him and his mother, Lucas was the one whose car they'd trashed. Even more so, though, it bothered him that he had been willing just leave and go out on his own right after the whole things had gone down because he was worried him and his mom might be in danger.

Stupid Lucas. Always trying to play the stupid hero. Well, even heroes need to be saved every once in a while.

* * *

 **There we are guys! Danger has now crept upon our favorite couple. Who could've slashed Lucas's tires? It's either Red or Shulk, right? Or perhaps someone else... DUN DUN DUN! I'm glad I got you guys all tense and stuff lol.**

 **SolarEnergy07- Red just might... you never know. You'll have to read more to find out. But, don't worry just yet, Nana is a great girl and can probably defend herself well. Inside Out is probably one of the better films in this half decade.**

 **Ender2412- Damn... I can't believe I made you hate a character like Shulk so much. *grins sheepishly* I don't listen to Vocaloid, and I very rarely listen to anything nightcore. And I might not be able to write a birthday story for you, but you will get a chapter update just for you on that very special day. Hahaha, Red is truly messed up in the head from all the working out. And sorry Nana wasn't here in the chapter.**

 **WinWin101- They kissed! Kawaii! Oh and heavens no, I love Finding Nemo. I am more excited than ever to see Finding Dory.**

 **mother-sins- Well... I am told to be the master of emotion and that I cause people to be backwards in love and all that. Cross Examined was worse (there were cliffhangers like at each chapter... lol), and don't worry, I think Nana can handle herself. Red will have to watch out instead.**

 **And that is it! I won't be updating again till Thursday, as the next two days are busy via fanfiction for me and all my other little tribunes and things, so you'll be seeing Chapter 19 come out then, instead of on Wednesday, which I'm sorry about, but at least I'll have it out. Thank you for reading guys, and please review, I'd love to reply to them! Have a great day! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	19. Chapter 19: Loss of Focus

**Hey everyone, it's Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #19: Loss of Focus. I said I'd be updating in three days from Monday, on Thursday, which I always do, true to my word, here I am! I am extremely happy to have this story back in my editing track mindset as a constant update schedule keeps my word count high. I'm like 6k or a little bit under from 800k! It was literally just a month ago I had peaked _700k,_ so having typed / written one hundred thousand words in a damn month is pretty extreme when I realize collectively it took my a year and three months to write my longest story at 112k when it takes me just a month now to write just as much in such a short time. I'm gonna faint lol. I bet this wait you guys have been expecting made you _all_ bite your nails off (looking at you Ender and mother-sins, lol). Enjoy! **

* * *

Ness paced back in forth in front of Lucas's locker, feeling like a real stalker. But hey, how the hell else was he supposed to get a hold of him? He had no idea why it hadn't occurred to him to get his number the night before, but he figured he'd chalk it up to all the drama that had gone down.

 _BEEP_

Crap. That was the final bell. He didn't need another tardy to add to the reasons his mother had to be pissed off at him. She'd completely ripped him a new one for not only being as late as he was, but bringing a guest to the house at 1 a.m. Yup. His mother was the type that felt it was rude to get angry or anything around guests, which meant no lectures or outbursts until company had left.

Honestly, though, his broken curfew was the last thing on his mind. After the crap that had happened to his boyfriend's car and getting home at 3:30 in the morning, he hadn't been able to sleep.

Oh man. What if something had happened to him? What if whoever trashed his car came back to his apartment after they dropped him off and-

Gah. He couldn't let himself think about any of that right now. He just needed to get to class, and text Nana to see if she had his number.

Heading over to his first period class, he tried not to draw too much attention to himself as he entered the classroom late.

"Nathaniel Mortmain, I hope that in the future you don't make it a habit of being late." Ness could barely hear his teacher's voice call out from behind him. His mind seemed to have taken on a sort of single minded, mental tunnel vision. He barely nodded his head as he slid into his seat next to his bubbly mahogany haired friend.

"Hey, Ness. You alright? You, uh," Nana chimmed in her usual cheerful morning voice. "You seem a little tense."

"Yeah, I'm fine," the raven haired boy mumbled, sliding his phone out of his pocket. "Listen, can you give me Lucas's number?"

"Yeah… so I guess this means you guys made up?"

Right. He hadn't told her yet. "Yeah, we hung out last night, but someone trashed his car."

She made a gasping noise, bringing her hands up to her mouth. "Oh my gosh! Is he alright?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out now. What's his number?"

Nana read his number from her phone before, as expected, trying to get some juicy details about last night.

"So, what did you guys do? Was there some lip action-"

"Later, Nan. Alright."

The bubbly brown haired girl looked put-off by her best friend's lack of details, but shrugged, muttering under her breath, "Sheesh. You really aren't a morning person."

Ness ignored his friend's mumbling, typing a text to Lucas instead.

 _Where the hell are you?_

 _Excuse me? Who is this?_

 _Your loving boyfriend. Why weren't you at your locker this morning?_

 _I had to get a rental car so I've been running a little late._

 _What was in that envelop last night?_

 _Nothing of importance._

 _Bullshit! What was in that envelope?_

 _Some things are better left alone, Nathaniel._

Ness's grip tightened around his cell phone. Why was he treating him like he couldn't handle any of this? Like he was a child?

 _That's it. Were not having this conversation over text. Meet me out in front of the school at the beginning of 2nd period._

 _Nathaniel, I know for a fact that you have class that period._

 _So fucking what. Meet me out front during 2nd._

Closing his phone, Ness cursed under his breath. Lucas was being a real pain in the ass with all this secretive shit.

"Everything alright?" Nana asked, glancing over at him from her seat like he was a ticking time bomb.

"No. It's not."

* * *

He waited anxiously in front of the school, checking his watch for the fifth time. He sure as hell better show up. Alright, so maybe the bell had only rung, like, thirty seconds ago, but he was aggravated from a combination of lack of sleep and the blonde jock being such a stubborn pain in the ass, which made waiting a hell of a task.

Finally, Ness spotted Lucas heading towards him on his left.

"A bit impatient, aren't we?" the older male mused, his eyes taking in his boyfriend's body posture.

"Well, you would be too if some asshole just left you hanging."

"Nathaniel, I didn't leave you hanging. I simply chose not to involve you in something that would make the situation even more complicated than it already is."

"Newsflash, Lucas, the _situation_ , whatever the hell that means, is already freaking complicated. Don't treat me like I'm some child that can't handle anything."

The blonde let out a small sigh. "That's not what I'm doing Nathaniel."

"Really, because it sure as hell feels like it."

"Well, things are not always as they seem."

"Oh please. Give me a break. You want me to be open and honest with you while you're standing here refusing to tell me about something that happened right in front of my house?"

"Indeed, I'm quite the hypocrite. And I will continue to be as long as it is in your best interests."

"And that's up to you to decide, is it?"

Lucas's eyes flickered across Ness's for a moment as if searching for something. "Nathaniel, do you honestly believe I'm keeping this information from you because I do not trust you."

"Yes, I do."

"You're the only person I've ever told about my parents."

Ness froze. Lucas could be manipulating and cunning and lie like it was second nature, but the waiter was sure he wouldn't lie to him about something like this.

"I- I didn't know."

"Well, now you do."

A heavy silence fell between them as Ness allowed the anger to slowly drain away.

"Listen, Lucas, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blown up on you like that, but last night scared me, a lot."

"And that's exactly why I think it would be a good idea not to reveal anything else."

"I wasn't finished. Last night scared me because you just totally shut me out and wouldn't tell me what was going on. And then you freakin' wouldn't even let me help you. Which made me angry."

"Nathaniel, it is not your job to help me."

"It's not about it being my job, Lucas. It's about me wanting to help you because I care about what the hell happens to you. And it's bullshit what you're trying to do here. I can handle this, whatever it is."

The jock's face softened slightly. "I never doubted your capacity to handle anything, Nathaniel."

"Then what the hell is the problem here?"

"Me."

Ness blinked, utterly confused. That was the absolute last thing he'd been expecting to hear come out of Lucas's mouth.

"I can't help myself from wanting to protect you from all this."

The raven haired boy felt an odd warmth spread through his chest as his stomach did a back-flip. He'd always fantasized about some prince charming coming in and being his hero and keeping him safe. Funny how what you think you want never quite ends up being all you thought it was.

The only problem with his little fantasy was that he hadn't factored in the possibility that he might actually develop feelings for his prince charming. Sending your hero out to fight your battles becomes a lot more complicated when you start falling for them.

"We're a couple now, aren't we?"

"Of course."

"Last night, you were the one that told me to trust you. Well, it's your turn. Trust me enough to tell me what the hell's going on."

Lucas paused, his lips drawn into a thin line as if struggling with some internal conflict. Finally, he spoke, his voice tense, lacking the usual sarcastic humor Ness was used to.

"The envelope, it contained a letter."

His boyfriend looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, Ness prodded him on.

"Alright. So what was in the letter?"

"Words of endearment."

Ness scowled, crossing his arms in front of him. "I'm serious, Lucas!"

"What happened to your sense of humor, Nathaniel?"

"It's taken a leave of absence that's going to be permanent if you don't cut this crap out right now." The blonde was just stalling for time, putting off telling Nate the truth, and he knew it.

"Fine. A warning."

Ness's eyes narrowed. "What kind of warning."

Lucas sighed, obviously displeased he was having to reveal all this to Nathaniel. "The kind of warning that I doubt is worth taking seriously." Ness's eyes narrowed. He got the feeling the jock was downplaying the whole thing for his sake, like he didn't want to upset him.

"Dude, are you kidding. These people trashed your car. They're obviously serious," God. Getting answers out of him was like pulling teeth. "Do you have the letter with you?"

"No."

Ness paused, racking his mind for all the questions that had deprived him of sleep earlier that day.

"Do you have any idea who could have done this?" Honestly, he was more than surprised that Lucas, of all people, had such a fierce enemy. He was the school's golden boy, for god sake. Nobody hated him.

"No."

Ness studied his boyfriend's features. They were totally blank. Which meant Lucas was putting up a mask on purpose. Either that or he was honestly as puzzled as Nate. Deciding to leave well enough alone, at least for now, Ness brought up the pressing thought that had been almost as prominent as who had done this.

"Do you think they know where you live?"

"I'm not sure… I doubt they'd do anything much more drastic, though."

"Holy shit…" Ness mumbled, shaking his head. "Lucas, I don't think it's a good idea for you to keep living there, at least for now."

The blonde let out a slight chuckle. "Don't you think your overreacting a bit, Nathaniel? People get their cars keyed all the time."

The waiter scowled, crossing his arms in front of him. "Don't laugh. This isn't funny. And no, I don't think I'm overreacting. My mom's really worried about the whole situation too."

"Nathaniel, please. Before we jump to conclusions, lets at least give it a little more time and see what happens."

Ness paused, his scowl lessening slightly. "Fine, but on one condition."

"What might that be?"

"You let me see the letter."

Lucas sighed, shaking his head. "It's not going to be conducive to the situation, Nathaniel."

"I don't give a crap."

Pausing for a second, his boyfriend finally relented. "Very well…" the blonde spun on his heels, motioning for Ness to follow. "You know, your stubbornness is quite a force to reckon with."

"I know." he beamed proudly, allowing a grin to spread across his face. In truth, even he was surprised that he'd won this little argument with Lucas.

"Don't expect for much of this to be happening in the future, though." the jock added, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

The raven haired boy shot him a glare. "Yeah, well, we'll see about that."

"Indeed." Lucas mused, obviously amused by Nate's stubbornness.

"What's so funny?" Ness asked, glancing around.

"You."

"Me?" he asked, confused.

"Yes. You're quite cute when you get all worked up and worried, Nathaniel."

The younger boy flushed five shades of red, flattered and embarrassed and angered all at once. "Hey!"

"It took every ounce of self control I had to keep from smiling while you were yelling at me."

Ness was pretty sure this was supposed to be the part were he yelled and got all mad, but instead he found himself…laughing?

"You are so…"

"Cocky, self-assured." Lucas offered.

"Well, actually, I was going to say sweet, but those work too."

"Me? Sweet? Interesting..." the blonde tilted his head to the side, a crooked grin on his face. "That's one I haven't heard before."

"Yeah, well don't get used to it." Ness echoed, the tone of his voice the same as his boyfriend's had been when he'd said it.

Lucas let out a small chuckle, pausing as he came to a stop in front of a black corvette.

"Is this your rental?" Ness asked, almost scoffing at how ridiculous the price must be to rent one of these things.

The jock nodded, unlocking the car door and getting into the driver's seat.

"Are you coming, Nathaniel? I though you wanted to see the letter."

Ness quickly slid into the passenger's seat, not wanting to give Lucas any reason to change his mind. Yeah, he was probably going to piss his mom off even more by just leaving during the middle of the school day, but she had seen what had been done to his car. She should understand how pressing the whole matter was.

"So… not to press my luck or anything, but why did you give in and agree to this?"

Pulling away from the curb, Lucas glanced over at Ness. "Because, I realized by trying to protect you, I'm only pushing you away. Being stubborn as you are, there's no way you're going to allow me to bench you on the sidelines when all the drama is taking place, though I'd love it if you'd let me."

"Not a chance in hell."

The blonde's crooked smirk grew even wider. "I thought so. And I suppose that's how it's supposed to be, isn't it?"

"What?"

"Being in a relationship. You're supposed to stand beside the other person, not behind them."

Ness had never even considered the latter a possibility. "Yeah, at least in my mind."

"It's quite different than what I'm used to. All the girls I've dated have been more than content with allowing me to be the protector."

He snorted, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, well, maybe that's why you're not with any of them….or one of the reasons, at least. That reminds me…"

The raven haired boy had more than just a few questions to ask Lucas about his previous love life. Had he ever dated a guy before? Was he bisexual, or just a gay guy that dating girls for public appearances. Did he move this slow with all of his love interests?

And what was the story with him and Red? Now that he knew Lucas, he didn't understand how him and the bully had become friends. At first, when he had just assumed Lucas was some dumbass jock that was nothing more than a pretty face, the relationship had made sense. Now, though, none of it seemed to fit.

And, most importantly, did he have any _Shulk_ _'s_ of his own that Ness needed to worry about.

* * *

Nana glanced around, her gaze shifting from Ness's empty desk to Lucas's. She was willing to bet the two of them, wherever they were, were together. Which kind of made her jealous. Just a little bit.

She missed having Ness around to talk to and hang out with. Lately, it seemed like he didn't have any time for her. She understood he was hung up on whatever he had going with Lucas- hell, she would be too if he was interested in her- but this morning, he had just brushed her off like she was nothing more than a hassle.

And he wasn't giving her any details either. It kind of sucked the fun out of setting the two of them up when she didn't get to find out the outcome of all her efforts.

"Hey baby."

Nana craned her head to the left. She really hoped it wasn't who she suspected it was.

Red was sitting to her left, wearing the white sunglasses she suspected he didn't take off even when he slept.

"What do you want? Gross..." the brown haired girl asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust and glancing over at him suspiciously. "And don't call me baby. My name's Nana. We've gone to school together for the past four years. You should know by now."

The bully clenched his fists slightly, visibly annoyed. "I just wanted to tell you I don't hate you. I didn't mean to be a jerk or anything, but your fag friend-"

"His name is Ness."

Red's jaw tightened slightly, obvious aggravation on his face at having been corrected.

"Ness, and I just don't get along."

"Oh, and I wonder why." Nana muttered sarcastically, shifting her gaze back down to the worksheet in front of her that the teacher had assigned.

"Anyways, I was thinking, you hungry? We could get lunch or something."

Nana blinked, almost choking.

"Are you asking me out?"

"No. Chill. It is just lunch."

She cast him a suspicious glare, ready to say no. Except she remembered Ness wasn't here, which meant she'd have to eat alone.

"Are you buying?"

"C'mon. Do you really have to ask? Look at me. I'm loaded, obviously."

Nana rolled her eyes. Well, Red was annoying, and an asshole, but maybe she could convince him Ness wasn't so bad over lunch. Then at least he'd ease up on the bullying. Besides, there was no way she was going to say no to a free lunch, even if it was coming from a total asshole like him.

* * *

 **There we are guys, a pretty long chapter (for this story at least lol, from a three day wait. Three day wait- 3k chapter. Works like that, I suppose.) So, good chapter? Ness and Lucas clearly are starting to fill each other's shoes in, and Nana is being good at being aware of what could possibly going on- please, Red isn't going to get anywhere, and perhaps he notices and understand this too, right? We'll see, read the new chapter on Saturday to find out!**

 **SolarEnergy07- There are only five named characters in this story and they are the only five we'll meet- Ness, Lucas, Shulk, Red, and Nana. No Meta Knight, sadly. So... no, guess is wrong. It could be someone else, but they won't be mentioned by name more than likely, and if I do, it is just this once.**

 **Ender2412- Lol, first world fifteen year-old guy issues. I- I've never played a Mother game to be honest... so... I know who Porky is and what he's done but to that extent... nada. Lol again. And hey, don't think that just because I update you have to read it immediately. Your safety and healthy should be your number one priority. And aww, thanks man, that means so much! And geometry you say? Are you in 9th or 10th grade? I'm in 10th, and I took geometry last year as a freshman due to being in advanced and AP classes (killers and rough, though), and I passed the class with B's throughout the year. It isn't as bad as you think. It's an angel compared to Algebra II, which is probably the hardest math course you can take in high school. Pre-Calculus, Calculus, and AP Statistics are actually much easier compared to Algebra II. Algebra I is child's play.**

 **YuukixMitsuru- So... hey, when will we be getting an update from your story? I can't keep reading my own Yaoi of Dark Tech Tethered on Darkness and Oasis over and over again for my hot graphic sex stuff lol, I need to read this stuff from you. *nosebleed* And what am I doing? What I do best. Torturing and screwing up with canon like the twisted son of a bitch bastard that I am. And no Cloud in this story, sorry.**

 **mother-sins- Red will have worse done to him by a certain older blonde if you know what I mean, something I don't condone at all, and this story will not be a pushing agenda factor. And not odd, lol. Good to know with CE too, you should've been there when I _was_ updating it though. The stress levels, through DA roof.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I love you all. See you Saturday!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	20. Chapter 20: Things You Shouldn't Say

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, Chapter #20: Some Things Shouldn't be Said or Things You Shouldn't Say as I'm not so sure the character limit for chapters can fit my original. SO, last time, we had Lucas and Ness do my favorite thing ever which is called chatting, lol, and they haven't kissed nor hugged nor had intercourse yet so I don't know what they _or_ I am waiting for, but whatever, more torture for you all. Which is also why I am posting so late at night my time, with it being half an hour to midnight and all. Hope you all enjoy this chapter! **

* * *

"So…?"

"Yes, Nathaniel?"

Ness glanced out the window, feeling totally weird and embarrassed about asking Lucas about something like this. He had to know, though. He'd only ever seen him with girls, so one could only assume…

"So what's the deal with, you know…"

"No, I don't. A little elaboration, perhaps?"

He flushed, blushing deeply.

"Well, I mean, I've only, like, seen you with girls. I mean, you have a lot of ex-girlfriends. So, uh, what's the deal there?"

An amused smirk spread across the blonde's face as he glanced over at Nate.

"What do you think?"

If at all possible, the raven haired boy turned even redder. "How the hell should I know! Don't you think that's why I'm asking!"

"Well, I'm sure you've come to some sort of conclusion." Lucas mused, his smirk growing even wider.

Ness looked away again, taking a deep breath before glancing back at his boyfriend. He couldn't believe he was going to say this. He really couldn't. But it was the only conclusion that made any sense, which was sad, really, considering it had come from Nana.

"Well, Nana and I were talking about it, a long time ago of course… and, like, she had this idea. See, she thinks I might be… your exception."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, letting out a small chuckle. "My exception? Please, familiarize me with this concept. I've never quite heard of it before."

Stupid brown haired best friend git. He knew the whole idea sounded ridiculous. So much for 'everyone knowing about it'.

"Well, the way Nana explained it, it's like, you're either attracted to guys or girls, right? Well, there's this one person that's the exception to that rule. Like, maybe, in your case, you'd normally like girls, but I'd be you're exception."

"Intriguing theory, though not at all applicable in my case."

Ness fidgeted in his seat nervously. He wasn't sure what he was hoping to hear from Lucas. Maybe that he was asexual, except in his case, which was ridiculous, really. He had never considered himself the jealous type, but this sure as hell sounded the illogical thoughts of some overpossessive, insecure boyfriend. How utterly charming.

"So, uh, what are you then?"

"Does it really matter?"

The waiter bit down on his lip. He was right. It shouldn't matter, there was no valid reason for it to, but it so did. And he wasn't even sure why. Maybe it was because he wanted to know who his competition was, which sounded petty at best. Or maybe it was just a sheer matter of curiosity. After all, it was kind of important to know the sexual preference of your significant other. He had a sinking feeling, though, that he wanted to know as just another way to assure himself that it was biologically possible for the jock to view him in that way.

"I guess not. But I still want to know."

Lucas tilted his head to the side, a pensive look spreading across his face. "I suppose there's no harm in humoring you. I've never quite bothered to explore the issue, to be honest. The whole thing's always seemed rather insignificant to me."

Ness blinked, his brows creasing in confusion. "What? How can whether you're attracted to guys or girls be insignificant?"

"Well, what bearing does it have, really? Attraction is a complex thing, Nathaniel. I've never bothered to burden myself with the social boundaries surrounding it. I've simply accepted the fact that I am attracted to certain individuals, their gender not playing a factor in the matter."

"But, I mean, how does that work then? I've only ever seen you with girls."

"Well, none of my previous relationships have been a matter of physical attraction, though that's not to say it wasn't present."

"So what have they been based on, then?"

"Necessity."

Gah. This was turning out to be a hell of a lot more complicated than Ness had thought it would be. For him, it was simple. He liked guys. Period.

"You see, Nathaniel, I've come to find that you can be attracted to someone sexually without having a romantic interest in them. I suppose that is what it comes down to, really. Sexually, I'm attracted to both guys and girls. Romantically, however, I find that I'm only interested in guys."

"But, I mean, if you're not attracted to girls romantically, how do you, like… you know, get off on doing whatever it is that you do with them." His face had turned tomato red again, images of Lucas making out with his ex-girlfriends flashing through his mind.

"Sex and romance are two completely different things, Nathaniel. I suspect this is the source of all your…" A suggestive smile spread across his face, "Frustration, shall we say. Sex is nothing more than the fulfillment of a bodily need when romance is not present. And romance, as idealistically charming as it may seem, is not enough to serve as the sole basis of a relationship. Both must be present to achieve any sort of fulfilling bond, which is why I've insisted on taking it slow."

Okay. So, then, Lucas wasn't gay, and he wasn't bisexual. But he wasn't _not_ gay, or bisexual. It was a contradiction that somehow seemed to work. Although, if Ness was being honest, none of it made him feel any better. Even if his stalwart man did like both boys and girls for just sex, that still meant basically everyone was a potential… one night stand for the blonde. Not just half the population, like it was for Ness. Well, technically, a hell of a lot less than half, seeing as most guys weren't gay.

"So, then ,you never really had any real feelings for your past girlfriends?"

Lucas shook his head. "Not in the romantic sense. I cared for them as individuals, which at the time was enough."

"So, is that, um, why you didn't, like, take any time in getting to know them?"

The older boy let out a small chuckle in response. "I never took you for the observant type, Nathaniel."

Well, that made sense, considering he wasn't. But he'd been crushing on Lucas for a long time, and, though he'd never admit it, had come to recognize a bit of a dating trend for him nowadays. Within a week, he knew to expect seeing him and his new girlfriend making out against a locker. Lucas had claimed they never went further than that, but Ness was still suspicious. You would be too if you'd seen the way he went at it with those girls.

Yup. Fond memories indeed. At least he knew what he had to eventually look forward to, though he was willing to bet it would be hell waiting like the blonde jock seemed to think was necessary.

"Yeah. Whatever. That's not the point."

"Indeed, though I do find the fact quite interesting. And, to answer your question, yes."

"And what about you and Red?"

An odd look flashed across Lucas's face as he locked eyes with Ness. "Red?"

"Yeah, I mean, it seems a little weird, the friendship or whatever you two have. I mean, you and him are, like, total opposites."

Lucas's lip twitched, only for a split second so that Ness wouldn't have even picked up on it if he hadn't been watching carefully.

"We have... history together."

"History? What... what do you mean," the raven haired boy so didn't like the sound of that. The only thing worse than the thought of his boyfriend with all those girls was his boyfriend with the dark haired, cologne wearing, sunglass idiot buffoon. "You guys didn't, like…"

"No. It's not really something that I feel would be wise to get in to right now, however."

Ness nodded, not wanting to get into another fight. As long as Red and Lucas hadn't… been together or anything like that, anything else really couldn't be all that bad.

"And you've never had any ex-boyfriends or anything, outside of school?"

"Nathaniel, I'm beginning to suspect this has turned into some sort of interrogation." the blonde mused, glancing over at him.

He met his glance with a half-hearted glare. "Well, these are important things. I mean, I have a right to know them, as your boyfriend and all."

"Yes, you do."

Ness narrowed his eyes, suspicion marring his features. Lucas almost seemed pleased that he was asking all these questions.

"Rest assured, Nathaniel. I have no ex-boyfriends that you need to worry about."

The raven haired boy didn't like that last little part. He hadn't asked if Lucas had any ex boyfriends _that he needed to worry about_. He'd asked if he had an ex-boyfriends. Period.

God, listen to him. He sounded absolutely insane, asking all these questions and obsessing over a few words. And it didn't help that the blonde wasn't asking any questions of his own. Didn't he wonder about any ex-boyfriends he might have to worry about? Alright, so the very idea of Lucas having to worry about another guy was stupid, really. But still, the concern would have been nice.

"And you're not curious as to any ex-boyfriends I might have?" Ness asked, crossing his arms defensively.

The jock let out a small chuckle, bringing the car to a stop. "No. I met my competition already, and I happen to know you've made it a habit to avoid romantic relationships of any kind in the past."

Of course. Nana must've told him. And he'd already asked his fair share of questions about Shulk.

Glancing around, Ness realized they were parked out in front of Lucas's apartment complex.

"You know what they say about curiosity killing the cat, Nathaniel. This is your last chance to turn back. I don't like the idea of trapping you into a situation you'll have very little control of, but that's exactly what's going to happen once I show you this letter."

Ness could sense that, for some reason, this was a crossroads in their budding relationship. Kind of like glancing down into a black hole and deciding whether or not to jump. You weren't sure how far you were going to fall, or what would welcome you once you hit the bottom, but the allure of the possibilities sometimes proved just enough to push you over the edge.

He knew that if he just pretended like this whole thing hadn't happened and let Lucas deal with this letter by himself, there would always be a part of his life that the waiter wouldn't know about. And there was no possible way to form any sort of relationship on a basis of partial trust. But if he saw whatever was in this letter, there was no turning back.

"You didn't really think a few words was going to scare me off, did you?"

"No. But I was hoping I was wrong."

* * *

"Wow, you eat a lot for a girl." Red said in awe, glancing over at the supersized quarter-pounder value meal Nana had ordered.

She glared up at him, shoving a few more fries in her mouth. "Yeah, so what? You didn't really think I was going to order a salad, did you?"

Yup, he had made the mistake of trying to order a salad for her, after which she had promptly stepped in and corrected him. She wasn't really all that fond of rabbit food, as she liked to call it, which basically encompassed all things green.

"My bad. I guess I kinda assumed since you're a girl, you worried about these types of things."

Nana snorted, rolling her eyes. "You know, being sexist and homophobic isn't exactly what most girls consider a catch."

"Yeah, well I'm hot, so I can get away with it."

She let out another obnoxious laugh, raising an eyebrow. "And who led you to that misguided assumption?"

Red's jaw tightened, his teeth grinding together. "You know, there are lots of girls who are interested in me. You should feel lucky to even be here with me."

"Oh please, give me a break."

"It's a good thing I like my girls feisty."

"And who says I'm interested in you?"

"You came here with me, didn't you?"

"Yeah, because I was hungry and you offered to buy lunch."

He took a deep breath, trying to resist the urge to haul off and punch Nana in that huge mouth of hers. All he needed was to get her alone. Just once. And then he'd be able to repay her for all this crap she was giving him. Hopefully she would fight back. He always liked a good challenge.

* * *

 **I haven't brought down the walls of heaven yet! Not yet, have I done the perilous, ridiculous awesome deed, but one day my readers, I WILL! There we are though, a quick chapter to assure and ease the nerves. And hey! Twenty chapters! Damn, we're like at the halfway point... just another *peers under glasses* twenty one to go, meaning we have forty-two days of The Raven and the Lion before I officially am done with it all! *fist pumps* Yeah, umm anyways, that was the chapter, nice and easy. Hope you all are still debating whether or not Red will do the deed... perhaps he will, he perhaps he will not. Last minute change of thought? And what do you guys think the history is between Lucas and Red? If they aren't necessarily boyfriends, but friends, what could this shared history be? Guess in the reviews! Speaking of them...**

 **Ender2412- Hello fellow sophomore. *I still can't spell that word on the first try but I refuse to use Google!* And you think you hate geometry? Like I said, so did I. Then I met Algebra II, and I loved Algebra I as a child. Algebra II is like comparing Hitler (Alg II) to Mother Teresa (Alg I). Even though I'm taking AP Biology and AP World History, my regular course of math is still my hardest and most complicated subject. And you think that review number is good? Try 266 on Cross Examined. Like yeah, I'm on the fifth page (or is it the third page?) of most reviewed stories by searched archive. So... goals! And nah, I'm good on the Porky thing. Mother / Earthbound just isn't my thing despite me loving two of its main characters.**

 **YuukixMitsuru- Now you know how I feel when my readers constantly plague and question me. (Seriously... I got a good forty PM's, when I had strictly said a Thursday update...) I'm sorry to hear life is keeping you down, hopefully you can work yourself out of it, which I don't doubt you can manage to do. Have faith ye friend!**

 **mother-sins- You'll find out what is in that letter soon enough dear child, but hush and rest. Or read more of my stories. The choice is yours. (psst... pick the latter!) And you can hold out on Ness telling his mom, although she'll find out in one hell of a sure as hell backwards way you won't see coming (as a promise). Good to see you can live three day wait. Last till Monday!**

 **That's all for now, my amazing readers. Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	21. Chapter 21: Evil Everywhere

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, my Monday update like I promised! I'm super excited for this chapter as you'll finally get to know that little secret driving Lucas to full secrecy, and Ness to be completely crazy. PLUS, we'll see how Red and Nana end out (perhaps they'll fall in love... lol), and we'll have Shulk back in the story and all this good stuff. Crazy filled chapter!**

* * *

"Are you hungry?"

Ness glared at Lucas from across the counter, fidgeting in his seat anxiously. "Cut the crap and just show me the letter."

"You know, Nathaniel, most people would appreciate the efforts of another to be hospitable."

"Yeah. Okay, well get on with it. I'm not hungry. I'm not thirsty. I don't need anything, except to see that letter."

The blonde let out a sigh of resignation before nodding his head. "Very well."

Dissapearing into the room the raven haired boy knew to be Lucas's bedroom, he emerged a few seconds later with the envelope in his hand. To Ness's aggravation, however, his boyfriend stopped a few feet away from him.

"I show you this on one condition."

"What?"

"You ask nothing pertaining to the contents of what you come to know as a result."

Hi eyes narrowed. That was a hell of a promise to make considering he had no idea what the letter said. He really didn't have much of a choice, though.

"Fine." Lucas covered the distance between them, handing the envelop to Ness.

With shaky hands, he tore the letter out of the envelope, skimming over the words eagerly.

I must confess, you've proven to be quite disappointing.

Shaming your mother from her grave…

Not very nice of you, Lucas

And sacrificing your queen for a pawn?

I would have thought you wiser…

Perhaps I've misjudged you,

Though only time will tell.

I would strongly recommend that you correct your unrepentant ways.

You know how troublesome family ties can be.

And no visitors, under any circumstances.

Jealousy and I do not play well together.

This is, of course, for your eyes only

I'd hate to think you'd share something this personal between us with someone else.

Ness's brows furrowed in confusion as he dropped the letter onto the counter. What the hell? None of that made any sense.

"I thought you said you didn't have any ex-boyfriends I needed to worry about?"

"This is not from an ex-boyfriend."

"And you told me I was the only one you ever told about your parents." The younger boy didn't mean to sound like he was accusing the jock of lying, but he didn't know any other way to say it.

"You are." Lucas responded calmly.

"But then how-"

"No questions, Nathaniel, remember? I've already answered two, with was more than I had agreed to in the first place. All I can tell you is that everything that I have told you has been the truth, and that there are still things you don't know that make this situation… much more complex."

"Then why don't you explain them to me." Ness shot, feeling completely frustrated.

"There is a time and place for everything, Nathaniel. And doing so would… making things difficult."

"So freakin' what. This whole situation is already difficult."

Lucas met his gaze, studying his face for a second before looking away. "I have to be sure of something."

The waiter let out an exasperated sigh, trying to keep his frustration in check. So this was all he was going to get out of him? God damn it, all he had now was even more unanswered questions.

"Just answer one more question for me." Ness pleaded, glancing down at the letter once more.

Lucas paused, a contemplative look spreading across his face. "You may ask me, but I'm not making any promises as to whether I can answer you or not."

"What does it mean by 'shaming your mother from her grave'?"

The blond jock's mouth twitched, his jaw tightening slightly. Right, dead parents. Sore subject.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up, but-"

"No, I believe it involves you, actually."

Ness's brows creased in confusion. "How?"

"My mother, she only believed in traditional unions."

"As in, like, homophobia?"

"Yes."

He fell silent. Man… what could he say to that?

"Don't hold it against her, though."

Ness shifted his gaze back up to Lucas. He had an odd look on his face, something that looked like a cross between careful reminiscence and… regret?

"She had her reasons." the blonde finished, picking up the letter from where Ness had dropped it on the counter and stuffing it back into the envelope.

"How can someone have any good reasons to pass judgment on people and their personal lives?" the raven haired boy asked, his voice coming out harsher than he had meant it to as he remembered all the homophobic threats Red had made to him.

Lucas's eyes narrowed slightly, his grip tightening on the envelope. "Nathaniel, things are not always black and white. There is not always a right or a wrong perspective."

"Yeah, but there's no excuse for passing judgment like that."

"That's exactly what you're doing."

"What?"

"You're passing judgment on my mother. You have no idea who she was, or why she felt that way. You've simply decided it must be out of sheer ignorance, and that her opinion is inexcusable. Nathaniel, I understand where you're coming from, better than anyone. As her son, I know first hand what it feels like to face such unfair scrutiny. But believe me when I tell you she had her reasons."

Ness looked down, focusing his gaze on the floor. Crap. He was being such an asshole. Had he really just told his boyfriend that his dead mother was ignorant and had no right to feel the way she apparently had?

"I'm sorry, Luke. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's alright, Nathaniel."

"No, it's not. I'm just… this whole car thing, it's about you being with me, isn't it? I mean, it's about us being together or whatever. It's just, we've barely even started dating, and we're already having to deal with all this shit."

"The best things in life are the ones you have to fight for, Nathaniel."

Ness sighed, looking back up. "I know. I just hate that it has to be like this."

The jock shrugged, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. Oddly, the younger boy felt at ease seeing the familiar expression on Lucas's face, relaxing slightly.

"I guess it's a good thing I like you so much. If it had been anyone else, you know, I would have simply moved on and concluded that they weren't worth the trouble."

Ness flushed deeply, rolling his eyes. "Yeah. Whatever. I'm sure that's what you tell all your boyfriends."

Lucas shook his head. "No. I've never really had a boyfriend before, not like this. I've had guys that I've explored a sexual relationship with, but nothing further."

So, that's what he had meant when he'd said he had none Ness needed to worry about. And that was probably also why he seemed so sure one of his ex's wasn't behind this. Whoever was doing all this definitely had some type of emotional attachment.

"And you're sure you don't want to take this to the cops?"

"No," the blonde's response was swift. "I will handle this myself."

Ness's eyes narrowed. He knew this had reached an all new personal level when this guy, whoever he was, had taken a low shot at Lucas's dead mom. That worried him, though. He didn't want him losing his head and getting all caught up in revenge.

"Don't do anything stupid, Lucas."

His boyfriend tilted his head to the side, a crooked grin spreading across his face. "You don't think I'd act brashly over a few words, do you?"

Ness wanted to say no. He really did. But he knew if it were him, he'd make sure that when he found whoever was doing this, they got what they deserved and then some, no matter what.

* * *

Nana made her way over to her hot pink slug bug parked at the end of the block. She was too cheap to buy a permit to park in the school's designated parking lot. A total waste of money, as far as she was concerned.

Rifling through her purse for her keys, she found them after a few seconds of digging, glancing back up and-

"Holy shit! What the hell, Red!"

The brown haired bully smirked, the idiot currently leaning up against the back door of her car, his arms crossed in an awkward position as if he was making a pathetic attempt to flex at the same time.

"Hey, babe."

"I told you not to call me that."

"No, you told me not to call you baby."

Nana rolled her eyes, chewing her gum loudly in an attempt to annoy her unwanted admirer.

"How 'bout this, then. Just call me Nana. Nothing else. That should be easy enough for you."

She moved to open her car door, only to feel it being pushed back shut from behind her. Wheeling around, she glared at Red, who was now in front of her, his right hand pressed up against the car door to keep her from leaving.

"You know, I think I've had just about enough of listening to you bitch."

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I somehow give you the impression that I care what you want."

Red's face reddened, his eyes flaring behind his sunglasses.

"You'll shut the _fuck_ up right now if you know what's good for you."

Nana lowered her right hand into her purse, feeling around for her pepper-spray. Crap. Where the hell had she put it?

"Get the hell away from me, Red. I'm friends with Lucas now, and if you even touch me, he'll kick your ass."

He let out a menacing cackle. "Oh, well now, I guess that means I should just go back to being your little bitch, then, right? God, your such a stupid girl. Lucas is the reason I'm doing this, him and your best friend. So when you wake up in the hospital, you know who to thank."

Flattening herself as best she could against her slug bug, Nana braced herself, closing her eyes. Except nothing happened. Squinting, she opened one eye, and then the other. Red was sprawled out on the sidewalk, some tall guy pinning him down.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The guy on top of the bully asked.

"Get the fuck off me!" Red growled, trying to overpower the guy and failing.

Something else was said, so quietly Nana couldn't make it out, before the guy got off of him and shooed him away. Shooting her one menacing look, Red regarded the guy with the same evil glare before heading off in the direction of the school.

"Are you alright?" The blonde said, finally turning towards her.

Nana blinked, recognizing him from the picture Ness had sent her. _Shulk_.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem."

"Listen, I think I might know you. Are you friends with a kid named Ness?"

The man's brows creased in confusion, though he nodded his head. "Yeah. Why? Do you know him?"

"Well, he's sort of my best friend."

A wide smile spread across the man's face as he stepped forward. "Well, any friend of Ness's is a friend of mine. Listen, you seem a little shaken. Maybe I should take you home."

Nana nodded in agreement, not wanting to be alone after what had just happened. Walking with the man back to his car, she made small talk with him, sliding into the passenger's seat.

"Hey, listen, you wouldn't by any chance be hungry? I was just going to grab a bite to eat."

The brown haired girl nodded, feeling her stomach growl. She always got hungry when she was nervous, or scared.

"Cool. Yeah, that sounds fun."

Maybe her luck had turned around. Maybe this guy was straight, and Ness was just his exception. He certainly seemed straight. And he was cute, too. Besides, it was time for her to get over her little crush on Lucas and move on, seeing as he was, after all, dating her best friend now. And her best friend had told her he didn't even like this guy, so what harm would come from a little dinner date?

* * *

 **So damn... small chapter, I know, but loads of mystery and strange action. Clearly Red and Shulk have a collaboration together, but Shulk knows what to do and what not to do, and I'm hoping it can somewhat reassure you (trying to take off the fire and ease some... BUT not all, as clearly they're both the antagonists and we have to have certain things in order. #20chaptersleft in the story!**

 **mother-sins- Glad you liked the chapter! And here's the letter, hopefully it is still so confusing. Any ideas as to whom sent it, and who / what is it referring to by the whole situation? Clearly it affects Lucas and is deep enough where he doesn't want Ness to know anymore than the surface level. Although Red didn't get his ass somewhat kicked by Shulk, it may not be as bad as what _will_ happen later down the line. I'll let you configure that yourself.**

 **YuukixMitsuru- I remembered that it's Monday, so reading your chapter time now! And please, go and read my Dark Tech Tethered on Darkness, I have a high tolerance, don't need to go there as I'm A OKAY with it all. And he sure as hell tried. And I am keeping this story at T, sorry. Having the f word in a T rated story is pushing the envelope, that my favorite scenes I want to do with Lucas and Ness have to be toned down or I'll be reported. Hey! If you want to read an M rated story, I've got Pluto Vacation in the works, with the epilogue handily coming out next Monday, so it is a good story to pick up and read if you like. Somewhat long too. It's a mystery. Oooooooohhh.**

 **Ender2412- You must get these updates super late to be always reading these late at night. *sheepishly grins* Perhaps too far of a steep comparison, with a beautiful and sweet woman to the leader of the German Nazis... but we have our sheer strange analogies. Hey, Red is going to get a lot worse than beat up by a specific someone if you're following my drift. Any thoughts so far on what this enigmatic letter is specifying or hinting at? Of course, knowing me, it'll be answered, but in due time. *fist pump* I've done my job successfully. Actually, my favorite character(s) to write about in this fandom are Lucina, Pit, Rosalina, and Marth in that order, as I've got some stories I have and will be doing with these four that'll push the limit. You spell the word you absolutely butchered as interrogator. There you go. I can read Cross Examined in a little under two hours. That's barely even a two hundred page read for me, it's nothing. Get your sleep son!**

 **There we are guys, a quick update. Please review! I am having less of you do so (nice to have the same people repeat over and over, I'm getting to know you all and hopefully some about me), but I am always open to responding to more people and it makes my heart grow with happiness, and my brain from knowledge. Have an update on Wednesday, and I may be holding the one on Friday off, but I'm thinking about it. Have a great day. Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	22. Chapter 22: Dilemma

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #22: Dilemma. Damn, it's time we see some other characters... right? No? No one's with me. Well damn. Speaking of damn, crap guys, you exploded with the reviews once more which of course causes my heart to just explode in the feels and feel so happy that people actually love me... but I have one of the most amazing guys as my boyfriend ever (yes, AuPalladium, I'm looking at you). *kisses his head* Anyways, before I get all lovey, I just finished an AP Bio lab so I'm like exhausted lol. Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Shulk glanced across the table, watching Nana attempt to shove half a cheeseburger down her throat and carry on a conversation at the same time. She was a rather repulsive creature, in more than just one facet.

He'd been throwing around the theory that she was defective, sort of like the talking dolls mothers bought for their eight year old daughters. Except this doll just wouldn't stop talking. She sure as hell did have the I.Q. to match, though.

"So, how do you know Ness?" he interjected, interrupting her current rant.

She blinked, surprised by the sudden change of topic. "I know him from school. He's been my best friend practically since the day I was born. I mean, it's funny, cause we're like totally opposites, except for our taste in guys."

The construction worker responded with a polite, controlled smile.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry about him ditching you for Lucas." Nana added, more as a half-hearted after-thought than anything else.

Shulk's jaw tightened slightly, his lips drawing into a thin line. "That's alright, sometimes people need a little guidance before they realize what is best for them."

The dark haired girl shook her head. "No. I think Ness made the right choice. I mean, don't get me wrong, you seem like a really cool guy and all. It's just, him and Lucas are, like, perfect for each other, in a really weird way that I never would have guessed until they started talking. And trust me, of all people, I was hoping my best friend wasn't his type if you know what I mean."

The blonde's eyes narrowed slightly. "You were interested in him?"

"Yeah. Who wouldn't be? I mean, have you seen the guy? But, I dunno, he seems really into Ness, even though he's had girlfriends and all. I guess he finally made him realize he likes guys more than girls or something. Or maybe Ness's his exception. I don't really know, I just know that together, they work."

"Well, As my buddy's best friend, I'm sure you have a good amount of influence over his decisions."

Nana nodded, shoving another bite of cheeseburger into her mouth.

"And… you wouldn't, maybe, prefer to have Lucas to yourself?"

Nana's eyes widened as she set down her cheeseburger. "What exactly are you trying to say? I thought you were Ness's friend…"

"I am," he reassured her. "That's why I think it would be best if he ended up with me, instead of Lucas. Think about it. Since his relationship with the blonde jock began, he's almost gotten beaten up by Red, has had his fingers broken, and has been under constant stress, doing things he normally wouldn't. He got wasted to the point that he passed out at a party I took him to, Nana. "

Wow, she hadn't been aware that Ness had been all that close with Shulk, sharing all this stuff with him. Then again, he hadn't really been telling her much of anything lately, so it made sense she wouldn't know about this.

Nana fidgeted in her seat, suddenly feeling totally uncomfortable. For how supportive she had always been of their relationship, he did have a point. Ness had been seriously ignoring her because of whatever was going on between him and Lucas. And then, Red had almost raped her, just to get back at the two of them. Which was so not cool. And she was betting that he wasn't going to stop making all their lives hell until Lucas and Ness broke up.

"He listens to you, doesn't he, Nana? If you….pushed him in a certain direction, it might be better for everyone."

She pushed her plate away from her, leaving the half eaten cheeseburger there. She suddenly wasn't very hungry.

"Give me some time to… think it over, alright?"

Shulk nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a card. "Here's my number. Give me a call once you've decided what you want to do. I only want the best for Ness, Nana. He's truly a very special boy."

The bubbly girl nodded, taking the card and putting it in her purse.

"One last thing. I don't think you should tell Ness about our little talk. I don't want it to upset him after what happened between the two of us at the party. I haven't talked to him since then, and I think he might be offended to find out I talked to you first about his and I's relationship before talking to him about it."

Nana nodded in agreement. God, this had been so easy. This girl was going to prove to be almost as useful as Red, if not more. She was sure as hell proving to be a lot easier to control. Besides, if this girl could convince Ness to go with him instead of Lucas, he wouldn't have to follow through with his little plan.

* * *

Ness fidgeted behind the counter of Mac's Diner, pulling out his phone and checking it for a text from Lucas, just as he had been doing religiously every thirty seconds for the past few hours. Yup. Him and Lucas were getting to know the essentials any good boyfriend should know about their significant other; favorite colors, middle names, pet peeves, the whole nine yards.

Whipping out his phone, he read his latest text from him.

 _Are you going to need a tux for the homecoming dance this Friday?_

Ness shook his head, not able to stop from grinning. Of course, Lucas wouldn't think of asking him like a normal person. He just naturally assumed they were going.

 _And who says I want to go to some lame high school dance?_

 _You know, the company you keep makes for a whole different experience at a formal dance, Nathaniel._

 _Yeah, well, you're not going to have any fun either, then. I can't dance. So all we'll be doing is standing around._

 _It's quite simple, really. All you'll have to do is follow my lead._

 _Yeah, well, don't blame me if you end the night with a few broken toes._

 _You know, Nathaniel, dancing isn't the only thing we'll be doing._

Ness flushed, hoping the suggestion he'd seen in the text wasn't just in his head.

 _Alright, fine. I'll go._

It would be nice, to have a distraction from all the craziness that had been going on lately. Though it would be more than interesting to see how everyone reacted to the first guy-guy couple attending a dance at their high school.

 _Indeed. Did you-_

"Ness!"

He whipped his head up, hurredly shoving his phone into his pocket as he met the disgruntled glare of his boss.

"What the hell do you think you're doing just standing around? Get back to work! Table six has been waiting for five minutes!"

The raven haired boy nodded, shuffling over to the table and-

Oh. Crap.

He knew this would happen eventually. He knew Shulk would eventually come back and want to talk about what happened between them. But god, Ness really wasn't in the mood. He'd just recovered from him and Lucas's little fight.

"Ness, hey. How've you been lately."

The younger male focused his gaze on the notepad he was holding in his hands, not making eye contact.

"Good."

"That's good."

"Yeah."

An awkward silence fell between them.

Ness cleared his throat, glancing up. "Listen, Lucas-"

Oh. Crap. Had he just called him his boyfriend's name?

Although he could tell he was making an effort not to react, he couldn't help but notice Shulk's fists clench up just slightly.

"I mean, Shulk… I would appreciate if you didn't request me as a waiter any longer."

"Ness, if this is because of what happened between us-"

"It's not. I have a boyfriend now."

"Lucas?"

The waiter shifted awkwardly from one foot to another.

"Yeah."

"But, I mean, we can still be friends."

"I, ah, I don't think that would be a good idea after what happened between us."

Shulk's eyes narrowed.

"Did he put you up to this? Is Lucas making you do this, because I swear, if he is-"

"No, Shulk. And don't say shit like that."

"But Ness, we've been friends for years. I mean, c'mon."

He took a deep breath. He needed to end this, now.

"No, dude, we haven't. I know you like me like that. And maybe I liked you like that, but that was a long time ago. I don't… I don't feel the same way anymore, I'm sorry."

Shulk's eyes flared as he stood up. "Well then why the hell did you sleep with me?"

Ness opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He didn't have an answer. He didn't know why the hell he'd slept with the older blonde. The alcohol, maybe.

"I was drunk."

"Yeah, well you sure as hell weren't when you accepted my party invitation. And you're a smart boy, Ness. You knew what a party with alcohol would lead to."

God damn. He knew the only reason he'd gone to the party was to prove to himself he didn't like Lucas. Which was just completely stupid. But not as stupid as his decision to drink… and have sex with Shulk.

"Whatever. It was sex, nothing more. And sex doesn't mean anything if there's no emotion there." Yup. Lucas had been the one to teach him that, and he'd been right. In the end, Shulk was just some guy he'd had sex with. It might've been different if there'd been emotion there, but there wasn't. At least not on his end.

He shook his head, pulling out a card and shoving it into Ness's hand.

"You're young, I get it. You still don't know what you want. You think that little punk act your boyfriend puts on his hot. Fine. But one of these days, Ness, you're going to realize you're making a mistake. And when you finally do, you can call me."

He waited till Shulk had left before crumpling up the card he had given him and throwing it in the trash can. He wasn't going to call Shulk. Ever. He'd already gone through the whole 'not knowing what you want' phase, which was why he'd done what he had with the construction worker in the first place. The only thing being with Shulk had proved to him was that he wanted Lucas.

* * *

Red pushed the bar up. Then down. And up again. Exercising always had a bit of a calming effect on him. It didn't do much, but it was just enough to take the edge off of his 'I want to kill the first person I see' urge after what had happened back in the parking lot.

Who the hell did Shulk think he was, interrupting his fun and saving that stupid blonde bitch? He needed to mind his own business, before he decided to enact a little revenge of his own.

And to make things worse, someone had broken into is apartment earlier that day. As far as he could tell, no one had stolen anything, though someone had definitely gone through his things. They'd made a mess of his freakin' apartment, which was saying something considering it had basically been a pigsty before.

Whatever. None of that really mattered. What was really pissing him off was that all his plans had gone to shit so far. Ness and Lucas were still together. Nana hadn't gotten what she deserved. And Shulk was treating him like his little bitch when they were supposed to be working as equals.

That's alright, though. That just meant he'd have more people to screw with.

* * *

Ness sat across the table from his mother, making small talk with her over dinner. He was still a little riled up from the conversation he'd had with Shulk earlier that night, but he was trying to act at least semi-normal for his mother's sake.

"So, mom, there's a Homecoming dance this Friday, and my friend is going to pick me up and give me a ride there."

"Nana? I always through you two would make a cute couple-"

"No, mother. My tutor, Lucas."

"Oh," his mother let out a disappointed sigh. "I was so hoping you'd have a date to homecoming this year."

 _I do_ , Ness wanted to say. That, though, would make his mother a hell of a lot more upset than her thinking he didn't have a date did.

"So… mom, you'd be happy if I was with someone, as long as they made me happy. Right?"

Ness's mother nodded, giving her son a comforting smile. "Of course, Nathaniel. As long as she treated you right, I'd approve."

Of course. _She._

"Yeah. Thanks mom." he mumbled, clearing his plate before heading up to his bedroom. He knew she meant well. He really did. But god, it hurt, knowing who his mother might not like who he was. He was scared to death of telling her the truth, of potentially ruining his relationship with the only parent he had, but it had to be done.

Lucas was becoming more and more of a part of his life, and sooner or later they were going to slip up. The only thing worse than telling his mother the truth would be her finding out on her own.

* * *

 **There we are guys, the chapter is complete. Don't worry- we'll be back to having longer chapters before long as I mentioned this story is going to be quite long, and I'm only at 50k something with another twenty chapters to go, we're definitely going to be reaching so pretty long places. I haven't decided if I'm going to branch the story into the M category, but let me know if you want me to and we'll have some spicy action take place in the 30's of this story and maybe further on if willing, lol.**

 **Yume Sekaii- OH MY GOD YOU'RE REVIEW IS SO LONG! Why is this intense? Because I'm an intense author who makes my readers struggle with every word. Your reaction is exactly what I love to see in a sadist way. You're seventeen? *bows* I respect the older ones in my life, even by five minutes. Awww, glad to have fooled you. Yeah... so you haven't read anything in this story from Chapter 21 on? Lord, it's just the beginning sweetheart. Nana isn't the brightest tool in the shed, clearly, though she means well. Man, you see Red and Shulk and I'm laughing my ass off at their characterization because it is throwing you _all_ in for a loop. You are seriously wanting Ness to break up with Lucas? Did you hit your head? And no, now you did. And hey, If You is amazing. (EVERYONE, read her story If You. It's a LUCAS X NESS!). **

**Ender2412- You're talking to the guy who wrote the same story. I think I'd be able to read my own work quite fast. I know all the plot points, and my chapters were never really above 2.5k up until like Chapter 37 onward but that final stretch was so short, it kinda didn't even matter at that point. Lol, don't overthink. Just read and pray to Fanfiction. (I'm kidding, don't pray to a website.) Yeah, they're my favorites. I can always see them in any different role or position as I see fit. Hope this isn't too late for you!**

 **Derbyburp- The plot _always_ thickens. Those who read Cross Examined _as_ I updated it know exactly what I'm talking about. In every chapter there was a cliffhanger to make you come back and read more. It's how I work, I suppose. And nope, no Claus. I've said it once, I'll say it again. Only people who are named and show up in this story are Ness, Lucas, Shulk, Red, and Nana. Ness's mother and Mac are mentioned, but aren't major characters. This stalker / follower seems to be a major character, no? And wow, thanks for reading! I know the writing isn't the same (it's almost been two whole years since I finished that story. OH MY GOD!), so I'm surprised you put that two and two together. **

**WinWin01- I think I made that bad feeling triple. I always, sadly, affirm your suspicions don't I?**

 **mother-sins- Lol, the letter is killing you. Mental image of a letter slicing you in half has now played in my head. Thanks for that. You have a few ideas? Hmm... keep them to yourself. And no, it wasn't planned. Shulk probably was watching from afar, but had no idea Red would jump to something so drastic, as you'll see in an upcoming chapter.**

 **YuukixMitsuru- Still hungrily waiting on that update. Take your time. I'll feast on my own Yaoi for the time being. And nope, zero kidnappings, although a whole bunch of persuasion. What would a gay guy benefit from by kidnapping a straight girl? And gee thanks, glad you're checking in with more! Got a whole lot to offer!**

 **Ninten64- You're on the right track, but the question now is, who are we referring to as the mysterious person? And I think you meant to flip it around. Shulk saved Nana because that wasn't part of the plan (perhaps one didn't even exist lol), and Red now sulks away like an idiot.**

 **That's all for now. Holy damn this is a long AN. Keep the reviews up guys, I want to try and beat my record of 266 in Cross Examined, which would be an absolute flipping miracle. I'd lucky to even reach 100. Thanks for reading and I hope it kept your two day suspense at bay. Wait till Friday for the next update! Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	23. Chapter 23: Spirit of Defense

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #23: Spirit of Defense, catering towards a superbly jealous Ness and something I almost got trending on twitter which I was very proud of, and you know what, we'll do it again. So... last chapter we had some issues, where Shulk is now trying to have Nana get in the way of things between Ness and Lucas's relationship, but I am leaving this plot point down to you as the next chapter will have some tweaks in the storyline if I choose they need some... so let's talk once this is over, k? Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Ness sighed, scanning the throngs of obnoxious, self-absorbed teenagers occupying the food court. This was so not where he wanted to be on his night off. The dance was tomorrow, and Lucas had insisted on taking him shopping for a tux.

He didn't mind the whole 'spending time with the best boyfriend on the planet' part, he just didn't feel like being around anyone else. Nana had been acting weird, avoiding him and being uncharacteristically quiet when she couldn't. And his mother had been pushing him to ask a girl out, 'seeing as he was going anyways', according to her. It was tiring, living a lie.

Funny, Lucas was the only person he could really be himself around. Too bad the rest of the world had to be here and screw up everything.

"Nathaniel, you might want to at least try and act like you're having a good time. The prospect that you find spending time with me so utterly loathsome might eventually go to my head, you know."

"I'm sorry. It's not you, really. It's just… Nana's been acting weird, distant… and my mother keeps trying to get me to ask a girl out to homecoming."

An amused smirk spread across the blonde's face. "Ah, so, your mother's trying to play cupid? At some point, you're going to have to tell her the truth."

"Yeah… I'm going to tell her… eventually. It's just, the right moment hasn't presented itself."

"And when exactly would that be, Nathaniel?"

Ness shrugged, letting out another sigh. "I dunno… I was kind of hoping, maybe, you could be there when I told her. I mean, I know it'll be awkward and all, but-"

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

The raven haired boy couldn't help but smile back as he looked up and realized Lucas had one of his million-dollar genuine smiles on, the kind he rarely got to see. Maybe the afternoon wouldn't turn out to be so horrible after all.

"So, where exactly are we going? I mean, is there even a tux shop in this mall?"

"Yes, it's a little further back. I'd prefer to browse a little first though, wouldn't you?"

Ness bit down on his lip, deciding he might as well humor him. Where else did he have to be? Back at home. Yeah, cause he _so_ wanted to be there.

"Yeah. Sure. Let's go."

They hadn't been browsing for long before Ness noticed the female cashier seemed to have taken a special interest in his lovely man. She was staring at him from behind the counter like she'd just won the lottery, and had but to claim her prize. The girl whipped out a compact, reapplying her lip gloss with a quick lip pucker before heading off in Lucas's direction, moving in for the kill.

Stupid whore. Couldn't she see that they were together? Ah _hell_ no, who did this skank think she was?

He headed towards his boyfriend at a half-jog, beating the girl to him by mere seconds and latching onto his hand. Lucas was _his_. And, apparently, he needed to make that a little more clear to the rest of the world.

The jock turned towards his boyfriend, a surprised look on his face as he opened his mouth, only to be cut off by the girl.

"Hello. Oh is this your brother?"

"No! You damn idiot, can't you tell," Ness shot back before Lucas could respond, his grip tightening on the blonde's hand. "He's _my_ boyfriend."

The girl looked shocked and disappointed all at once, her gaze resting on him as if to say 'Are you sure?'.

"Yes, it seems you may be confused. Nathaniel is my boyfriend."

The girl took a step back, embarrassment marring her features. "Oh. That's… nice. I'll just be over at the counter if you two need anything."

The raven haired boy waited till the girl was out of earshot to mumble, "Dumb hoe."

Lucas let out a small chuckle, glancing down at Ness hands, which was still securely wrapped around his. "I never took you for the possessive type, Nathaniel."

"I'm not. I just don't like it when dumb whores check out my boyfriend."

An amused smirk spread across the jock's face. "In all fairness, Nathaniel, she had no idea we were a couple."

"Yeah, well, she shouldn't have just assumed I was your brother when I grabbed your hand. Since when do teenage brothers hold hands?"

Lucas glanced down at their hands, which were still intertwined. "So, I take it this is a permanent situation, then?"

Ness flushed deeply, realizing he still had a hold of his hand. "Oh, sorry, I, ah-"

"It took you long enough."

He did a double take, blinking twice. "What?"

"Well, this is the natural progression of things, Nathaniel. I would have done it myself if I'd known you were ready."

"Ready?"

"Yes, Nathaniel. You seem to be particularly sensitive in regards to making our relationship public knowledge. I can understand, due to your current situation with your mother, and I didn't want to put you in a compromising situation by holding your hand in public until you told your mother."

The younger boy wrinkled his nose, tugging Lucas towards the door of the clothing store. "Stop being such a freakin' gentleman. My mom's going to find out one way or another. Besides, if I have to deal with people hitting on you right and left, it's only going to make my mood worse."

He highly doubted his mother would find out about her son's dirty little secret by word of mouth. The type of people she hung out with didn't exactly hang around teenage infested malls as much as they did formal dinners and tea parties.

Ness tried to pretend like he didn't notice all the people staring as he walked hand-in-hand with Lucas down to the tuxedo shop. He wasn't so much self-conscious as he was annoyed. People were looking at them like they were some type of freak show, which wasn't helping his mood. At all. The blonde beautiful boy next to him, however, didn't seem at all bothered. He walked with the same confidence he always had, which, for once, Ness envied.

Maybe, one day, he'd be able to be that comfortable in his own skin, showing exactly who he was to the rest of the world. And hopefully, with any luck, Lucas would be there with him, helping him through it.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Ness tried not to cringe as he entered the tuxedo shop. He wasn't a big fan of formal wear, of course, because it was indicative of formal events. Which made him uncomfortable. Besides, he didn't get the whole point to dressing up in an uncomfortable suit just to go somewhere and stand around where two hundred other people were wearing the same exact thing.

Lucas said something about going to speak with the store assistant, before hesitantly letting go of Ness's hand and heading off towards the store counter. He flexed his now free hand, feeling oddly bare as he stuffed it into his pocket.

He hadn't realized how much he liked the feel of Lucas's hand in his. His skin was nice, soft, his touch a subtle warmth against his cooler hand. He missed it. Which was weird, really. He'd never thought of himself as the cuddly 'let's snuggle and hold hands' type, but then again he'd never been in a real relationship like this before.

"Nathaniel, " the blonde called, motioning him over. "He needs to take your measurements to fit you properly for a tux."

Ness nodded begrudgingly, walking over and stretching out his arms to their full width and standing up straight as the man took his measurements.

"You know, you're so going to owe me for this."

Lucas let out a small chuckle, leaning against the nearby wall and watching as the man finished up taking Ness's measurements.

"Don't worry about that, Nathaniel. I already have something in mind that I think you will find to your liking."

The suggestive smile on his boyfriend's face made him flush and glare at the same time. He was going to be really disappointed if tomorrow night rolled around and Lucas didn't lay off the gentleman act, at least for the night.

"Yeah? Well, we'll see about that."

"Indeed." the jock mused, pushing himself up off the wall and heading to the counter. The waiter followed, his eyes bulging out of their sockets as the man rung up the price for the tux he'd apparently found for Ness, pushing it towards them in a white box.

"Lucas! No way! That's too much!" He would have insisted on paying for it himself, except he didn't just have $850 lying around.

He shook his head, handing his credit card to the man despite his protests. "It's a good deal, I assure you Nathaniel. The package includes cufflinks, tuxedo shoes, and a formal undershirt as well as the tux."

"But- I mean-"

"Nathaniel," Lucas said, a small smile on his face as he turned to him. "I am the one that insisted you attend this event, correct? So, rightfully, I should be the one making the proper arrangements necessary to do so."

"But, dude, $850 is, like, freakin'-just- way too much."

"A simple thank you would suffice, Nathaniel."

Ness hesitated as the blonde extended the formal looking white box to him that the man had put the tux in.

"Are you sure?"

"Aren't I always?"

Ness sighed, smiling as he took the box from Lucas. He'd never been spoiled like this before. Hell, it had been a big deal last Christmas when his mother had bought him a $250 IPod.

"Besides," the jock said, a crooked smirk on his face as he led the way out of the mall, "Consider this an insurance policy of sorts."

Ness raised an eyebrow. "What? You mean, like, so I'll feel like I have to go to homecoming and not have the option of backing out since you spent so much freakin' money on me because of it?"

Lucas nodded. "I wouldn't necessarily put it like that, but yes."

The raven haired boy rolled his eyes, grinning despite his best efforts. Of course, he should have guessed. Everything was always more than it seemed with him. But could he really complain? It had gotten them both to this point.

* * *

Forty five minutes later, Ness found himself wishing to be back in that crowded mall with Lucas instead of in his bedroom, alone with his thoughts. Yeah, he could go talk to his mother if he wanted, but interacting with her had becoming increasingly tiring these past few days. It wasn't her fault, he knew, considering he hadn't even given her the opportunity to accept him with open arms or anything yet, but it didn't make all her nagging for him to ask a girl out any less hurtful.

Whatever. He shouldn't just sit around here sulking. Heading over to the white box, he popped open the top and grinned. Lying there on top of the tux was a belt buckle, with a small note under it. So this was why he'd insisted on browsing.

Ness picked the note up, unfolding it before reading Lucas's writing.

 _I thought you might need a little something to cheer you up. Hopefully, this brings up as fond of memories for you as it does me. With any luck, after tomorrow night, we'll have many more like this to reflect back on._

He grinned, picking up the belt buckle and running his fingers across it. For all the crap they'd been through because of their relationship up until this point, it had so been worth it. Moments like this made it worth it. Times when he felt down, and Lucas knew just the way to cheer him up. Yup.

At least, if nothing else, one thing was going right in his life.

* * *

 **Okay, many things first. I want to get this trending, ready? #FeistyNess. It worked once, it'll work again! Ness in that store against that girl and he proved to be eight million different ways of defensive and ready to make everyone know that the blonde jock is taken. Secondly, in your reviews, I want you to take a vote. Should Nana follow Shulk's advice, or should she do her own thing and stay out of it? The next chapter will deal with how you all respond. If you go with Option A, it'll increase the dramatics of this story and leave one conflict to be resolved, as Ness does need to know what has been happening with her since then. Option B means I still have Red and Shulk, but that's one avenue taken down. Your decisions will help influence how the chapter will go. Think what I'd be better at having, no?**

 **Ender2412- I'm absolutely okay with that lol... no need to freak. And... I don't think a simple ' _get out of my life_ ' will work for Shulk, as you can tell he's pushing that envelope with everyone he knows can affect Ness. Eventually, he could try and change Lucas's mind. And I don't know the song... so good for you lol I guess. And hey, it's okay to be the way you are. My road to knowing about me liking only... well... men, took awhile. I'm here if you need someone. AuPalladium, my boyfriend, will also extend the favor (I'll let him know.). Lol about the Shulk cussing rant. And yeah no Lucas, but he'll be in the chapters coming up, obviously.**

 **YuukixMitsuru- Oh, I shall do... whatever the hell it is you're mentioning. I understand that the many plot points can be hard to follow, but we'll be having some dropped bombs that'll be quite the doozy once discovered, and I mean it. Glad you love it!**

 **Derpyburp- There can be many speculations, but always refer back to other rules and statements I've made about the characters in this story. Everything will come together in due time my dear reader. Ness's mother is a dainty one. HOW do you think she'll respond given what we've seen of her character so far? And normally I'd be telling you to pay attention and only attention, but it really means a lot that I've got you that amped. I've kept these updates so quick because I have the entire story with me right here to just reupload and edit, add AN's, and voila, not hard. And no, you don't have to do that. It's just me wishing. Took me forever to reach 266. Cannot expect it to happen with this at all.**

 **mother-sins- Homecoming is going to be amazing. For those who remember it... umm, everyone, kindly explain Chapters like 29 and 30 I think... (don't mark my words), but that's when Ness and Lucas go from couple to being in love and I mean it too. So, yeah, cast your vote for how Nana will do things, because she's still a smart girl and may agree but do it in a whole different way... or Ness might just f everything up instead. And thank you! Your compliments make my heart swell.**

 **WinWin01- I think Lucas made more than an implication... if you know what I mean. ;)**

 **There we are guys! You'll have another update on Sunday, and then we'll see where it goes from there. If the two things I requested can be done then I swear I have the best readers on the whole planet (although then again you guys are all damn amazing as it is), and please review. #FeistyNess, #SorryNotSorry, #KeepCalmAndReadMoreLucasxNess, #I'llStop. So, I love you all! Have a great day! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	24. Chapter 24: Don't Take Your Eyes Off

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #24: Don't Take Your Eyes Off (Of Me). It's supposed to be Don't Take Your Eyes Off Of Me, but that's too many characters in the chapter title slot (like really, come on Fanfiction, you do it for story titles, why not chapter titles...) I am taking into account your votes on Nana, but I only have four at the moment so it's an even 50/50 split right now... granted, I need more, so keep voting away! Enjoy this chapter, (hey it's actually kinda long too, for this story at least). It's time to prove that Lucas and Ness _can_ be a couple! **

* * *

Ness ran an anxious hand through his hair for the billionth time, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

 _Keep it messy. He likes it messy. But it's a dance. You're supposed to look all fancy and polished. But this isn't about everyone else and what they think. This is about Lucas. This is for him. But you don't want to embarrass him by looking like a complete bum._

Picking up a brush, he gave his hair a few more quick swipes. He'd been struggling with making a decision on this little predicament for the past twenty minutes. Messy. Neat. Messy. Neat. He had to have combed his hair and then messed it up again at least ten times. Well, now eleven.

Before he could go back on his decision, Ness heard the doorbell ring. Crap. He was here.

The raven haired boy took a deep breath, trying to compose himself as he heard his mother call from downstairs,

"Nathaniel, your little friend's here."

Yeah. His friend. His friend that he hoped to be locked lips and hips with by the end of the night. His poor, ignorant mother. If only she knew.

Turning on his heels, Ness headed out of his bedroom, taking the steps two at a time and-

He froze half-way down the stairs. He really shouldn't have looked up. Big mistake. Yup. He was going to be lucky if he made it the rest of the way down without tripping over himself and landing flat on his ass.

Standing there in his black and white tux with his hair swept back and a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, Lucas looked positively well... he wouldn't hesitate to do intercourse with his boyfriend at this rate. In the nicest way possible, of course.

He always wore his hair in that slightly messy, air-tussled look that gave off the 'I look like a million bucks and I don't even have to try' effect. Which looked amazing on him. Really.

But god, Ness could barely keep his eyes, and hands, off of him when he didn't try. He was so torturing him now by coming into his house looking like some type of GUESS model, and judging by the look on his face, he knew it.

Clearing his throat, the blonde's crooked smirk grew even wider as his eyes made a sideways motion towards Ness's mom. Oh. Right. Of course. No gawking around the parent.

"Hello, Nathaniel."

Crap. How long had he been standing here for? Seconds? Minutes? Hell if he knew.

"Hello. Uh-"

"Nathaniel, come on. Don't keep your friend waiting. I'm sure you two have a time sensitive schedule to see to."

He felt a hot flush spread across his face. If his mother had noticed, then he knew it was bad.

"Yeah. Right. Sorry."

Good. He would stick with one-word answers till his mind came back down from whatever high seeing Lucas had sent it on.

Somehow, he managed to make his way down the rest of the stairs, mumbling a quick goodbye to his mother before following the jock out to the car.

Ness focused his gaze on the empty street in front of him, trying to keep himself from staring.

"Nathaniel."

Oh, _fuck_. So much for that. Stealing a quick glance in Lucas's direction, Ness realized he was holding out something in his hand. Flowers.

"I would have given them to you inside, but I didn't want to give your mother a reason to ask questions."

He flushed, quickly taking the flowers in his hand.

"Thanks. I'm sorry it has to be like this-"

"Don't be. Take your time, Nathaniel. It's important not to rush this."

Gah. Why did he have to be so freakin' nice and understanding about all this? Why couldn't he be an asshole, or have come looking like some Quasimodo wannabe? One or the other, and he might have at least some control over what the hell he was saying. But neither, and he was screwed.

"Don't tell me you don't like the flowers, Nathaniel."

"No. It's not that."

His boyfriend paused for a minute before coming to his next conclusion.

"Nathaniel, I assure you, the dance will not be nearly as unbearable as your anticipating."

"No… that's not- I don't think the dance will be all that bad." Especially considering he'd have the hottest date there, which, coincidentally, was also the problem.

Ness let out a nervous sigh. Why the hell did he get like this every time he was around him? He should be able to handle being around him by now without his stomach doing back flips and his palms sweating like crazy. They'd already been on a date and kissed and held hands. Why was he getting all nervous again?

Maybe it was because he knew exactly where he wanted the night to lead. And, if he had it his way, they'd be doing a whole lot of new things that would make his heart race and his head spin. Lucas had wanted things to go in that direction too, hadn't he? He'd been the one to buy the freakin' belt buckle and put it in with the tux.

But here he was, sitting like everything was normal, not a sign that he was at all anticipating the type of fun Ness was hoping for.

"Nathaniel, if there's something bothering you, I'd hope that by now you'd trust me enough to tell me."

Yeah. Well newsflash. The blonde jock was the reason he was feeling uncomfortable, shifting around in his seat every few seconds like some paranoid lunatic.

"It's not about trust. I mean, I can trust you without feeling comfortable around you."

"I'm making you feel uncomfortable?"

Gah. So much for not talking about this.

"Well-I mean, yeah. But it's not like you can do anything about it or whatever, unless you can somehow make yourself look like Quasimodo."

An amused look spread across Lucas's face as he let out a small chuckle. "Ah. That kind of uncomfortable."

"Yeah." he mumbled, sinking lower into his seat as he blushed deeply. Alright. So, a whole new level of awkwardness had officially been achieved, thanks to him.

"Good."

"What?"

"Well, I'd feel quite disappointed if I didn't evoke some sort of response out of you."

Ness was half-tempted to jump across the car and smack him for being so smug about something like this, and half tempted to climb on top of him and get the real kiss he'd been deprived of back on that rooftop. Instead, he settled with sinking down deeper into is seat.

"Yeah, well, if you don't cut it out, you're going to get the type of response that leaves a bruise."

"Well, that could be interesting." Lucas mused, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Oh, you know what I mean!" the younger male snapped, flushing even more at his boyfriend's suggestion. Of course, he'd turn some half-hearted threat into a sexual innuendo. That sadistic bastard, always finding new and creative ways to torture him.

Okay. So maybe he wasn't really mad. Hell, he couldn't even manage a full frown for more than a few seconds. And it wasn't Lucas's fault that he was being… well, himself. Under normal circumstance he probably would have just laughed it off. Right now, though, he was just really, really frustrated. In the worst kind of way. And it was making him irritable.

Ness's brows creased in confusion as the car came to a stop in front of some sort of fancy looking building.

"What are we doing here?"

"I'm treating you to dinner." Lucas responded, the tone in his voice implying the younger male had no choice in the matter.

"No, man. Seriously. You've already spent a crapload on me."

"Are you counting?" the blonde asked, amusement spreading across his face as he got out of the car.

Ness followed begrudgingly, knowing he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

"No, I'm not. I just know it's already too much."

"Well then, adding to it at this point shouldn't change the situation all that much."

He let out a sigh of resignation, following behind the jock as the hostess led them to a small booth. Ness slid in parallel to Lucas, glancing around. The place was definitely fancy. Much more expensive then he was used to. At least he was dressed fittingly.

"So, I believe it is my turn to ask the question." the blonde said, glancing at him over the menu in his hands with a crooked smirk on his face.

Ness blinked, taking a second to realize what Lucas was referring to. Of course, their little game, the one that the hot mastermind had first come to him with when he'd shown up back at Mac's Diner for the first time.

"The hell if I know. You can go first, I guess, seeing as you're the one buying me diner."

A small smirk crept onto Lucas's lips, the type that made Ness worry about whatever he'd just committed himself to.

"Alright. Well, I think, seeing as certain events have transpired that might complicate this, we should have a general rule."

The raven haired boy's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What?"

"No questions about the letter, or the events surrounding it. Period."

He let out a heavy sigh. Of course, his boyfriend would ruin all his fun.

"Fine. Whatever."

"Good," Lucas said, leaning in a little closer as he spoke. "So, I already asked you about piercings, but I neglected to ask about tattoos."

Ness flushed, glancing around. It seemed like such an inappropriate question to be asked while sitting in a place like this. He still would've blushed if they'd been at Mac's Diner, but at least then it would've seemed less out of place.

"No."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, the only reaction he afforded Ness as he took a sip of the water their waiter had brought them at some point.

Gah. That was what really drove him crazy about this. He could never get a read on him, or what he thought about his answers. Did he like tattoos? Was he disappointed? Some sort of readable reaction would have at least given him a hint as to the type of… things, Lucas was into.

"Your turn, Nathaniel."

Ness tried to think of any other question besides 'Are we gonna fool around tonight?'

"Uh-okay. So, then, why did you insist on taking me to this dance?"

His boyfriend raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his seat and taking another sip of his water. "You're not going to like the answer."

The waiter stiffened, watching Lucas carefully. "Tell me anyways."

"Very well. I wanted to bring you to the dance for several reasons. Primarily, though, I suppose it's a matter of… drawing a line, shall we say. You're not the only one who can feel rather possessive at times, Nathaniel. I felt this would be the perfect opportunity to make it clear to the rest of the school that you are mine. I'd really hate to have any more problems like those that arose with your little friend."

Shulk. Of course.

Ness knew this was probably the part where he was supposed to go 'I'm not yours' or 'Don't treat me like I'm your property'. Only one problem. At the moment, he found the whole idea rather endearing. It was nice, for once, to know that they were on the same page. Well, mostly, anyways. he understood what he was feeling, how infuriated he'd been when he'd seen that hoe from the mall eyeing him. Except Lucas hadn't slept with her, like he had Shulk.

So, yeah. As far as he was concerned, Lucas had every right to make a claim on him, or whatever you wanted to call it. Plus, that meant he wasn't ashamed of him. Actually, it kind of implied the opposite. If he wanted the rest of the school to know they were together, then, logically, it only stood to reason he was proud of having him as his boyfriend. Which was an absurd idea, really. But then again, so was the fact that he was dating Lucas, or that his long time crush of 3 ½ years was sitting here, proving to be so much more than he'd ever imagined.

"You didn't finish."

The blonde looked at him expectantly. "You don't have some witty remark about how my actions are out of line and completely inappropriate?"

Ness couldn't help but smile at that. "No. Except to tell you you're wrong. I like the idea."

"Nathaniel, I do believe you may be in danger of sounding like you might actually enjoy yourself tonight."

He let out an obnoxious laugh, and found himself not really caring as a few people in the resteraunt shot him dirty looks.

"Yeah, you think so? Well, I'm not making any promises, but maybe, just maybe, this wasn't such a horrible idea… and thanks."

"For what?"

"Pushing past my stubbornness and convincing me to come."

"In all fairness, I really didn't give you a choice in the matter, Nathaniel."

Ness shook his head, rolling his eyes and smiling knowingly. "Yeah, well, maybe it was for the best. In this case anyways."

"I'm glad you agree."

Lucas had been right. The company really did make all the difference.

* * *

Ness shifted nervously from foot to foot, white knuckling Lucas's hand in his own.

"Ready?"

He nodded feebly, not wanting to risk answering verbally. Honestly, he was scared shitless. And, really, he had a lot of reasons to be. A lot of people were going to be shocked that not only did their prince like guys, but he was also going out with Ness when he could have his pick of just about anyone in the entire school. Hell, most people probably didn't even know who he was. By the end of tonight, though, they sure would.

Following Lucas's lead, he made sure not to let go of his hand as they walked through the front doors of the high school auditorium. He needed whatever strength he was drawing from it, needed the reassurance that Mr. Strong and Beautiful was right next to him.

The moment they entered the building, Ness could feel everyone's eyes on them. It was like how it had been at the mall, only ten times worse because the place had grown eerily quiet. Eventually, the silence was filled by whispers, the kind you didn't need to hear to know what they were about.

"Relax." Lucas whispered, coming to a stop as they waited at the end of the line for people exchanging their tickets for admission into the dance.

"Sorry." he muttered, realizing he was probably crushing every bone in his hand.

"Does it really matter what they think? "

Ness took a deep breath, trying to focus on his boyfriend's peppermint scent.

He was right, of course. It shouldn't matter what they thought. And it didn't. Not really. He just hated all the attention they were getting. It was making him feel even more self-conscious and claustrophobic, like they were under some sort of magnifying glass for the rest of the world to look at and pick apart.

Whatever. Screw the rest of the world. It had never exactly accepted him anyways. He was who he was. This was his life, and Lucas had become part of it. A big part, actually. And if anyone had a problem with it, they could just go screw themselves. Heh, he had used the same word twice in the thought.

"No. You're right. It doesn't."

Lucas gave his hand a slight squeeze, obviously pleased with his answer as they moved to the front of the line, exchanged their tickets, and entered the dance.

Ness had been to homecoming once before… with Nana. It had been a real drag. Halfway through she'd found some guy she'd thought was cute and ditched Ness so they could dance together… which he could understand, kind of.

The place was still adorned in the same cheap, low-budget decorations, with loud music blaring through the place so you had to yell just to talk to the person standing right next to you.

For a while, they just stood there on the sidelines, hand in hand. Ness could tell Lucas was trying to give him a bit more time to get comfortable with the whole situation, which he was more than grateful for. Tonight was turning out to be whole lot of 'firsts' for him. And adding dancing, in public, with a guy for the first time to the list wasn't going to make things any easier.

At least it was with him. Ness doubted the guy could look awkward if he tried. Well, he'd find out soon enough, wouldn't he?

Not bothering to shout over the loud blare of the music, Lucas nodded his head towards the dance floor, affording him a small smile. Just as they began to move forward, three guys appeared in their path.

They were all dressed in the same hot pink tux's that screamed 'Look at me. I want attention because I'm just that pathetic.' Ness stiffened, vaguely recognizing one of the guys from the little visit Red had paid him to Mac's Diner.

"Hey, Lucas, my man. What's up?"

The blonde nodded, an indifferent smile spreading across his face. "Are you guys looking for Red, because if you are, I don't know-"

"No, no. Man, actually, we were kind of-" The guy stopped mid sentence to snicker and nudge his friends as his eyes drifted to Ness. "We were wondering which messed up son of a bitch dared you to go to the dance will the little fag kid."

Lucas's eyes flared, his grip on Ness's hand tightening at the guy's words. The raven haired kid glared at the guy, his throat suddenly growing dry. Of course, that's what people would assume.

"His name is Nathaniel. And I'm not attending the dance with him on a dare. I'm doing it on my own free accord. Apparently you haven't heard. We're going out. And in the future, I'd recommend you avoid using such offensive words like fag, especially when referring to my boyfriend. It can be quite bad for your health, if you know what I mean."

The two guys on either side of the one that had been speaking made 'oooh' noises, obviously enjoying the little show.

"Red was right about you. You've turned into nothing but a little pussy."

"Yes, well, at least I haven't turned into his little errand boy. Tell me, did he pay you to do this, or is this just a little personal favor your doing for him as part of the ass-kissing required to be his friend?"

The boy answered Lucas with a glare. Which wasn't really all that effective, considering he had a good three inches on him.

"You just got told," The two boys said to the loudmouth, laughing. The taller one turned to Lucas and smiled. "Look, dude, I don't know what you're into as far as you two go, but you're still cool with me. Everyone knows Red's a little homophobic asshole that needs to lay off the steroids before they fry whatever's left of his brain. " The other guy nodded in agreement, with the loudmouth glaring at them both before storming off.

"Thanks." Lucas said, giving them a small nod as the two guys disappeared into the crowd.

Well, wasn't that just a nice little surprise. Nate had been expecting as much. Still, though, it didn't make it hurt any less, or make the sudden urge to bolt for the door and get the hell out of here any less prominent.

"Can we leave now?" Ness yelled over the music, feeling more than a little miserable. He'd been able to deal with all the staring and the looks and the whispering. He'd been having a perfectly good time when it had just been him and Lucas out of the high school setting, even at the fancy restaurant where all those people had been glaring at him for being so loud. But he had reached his limit as far as scrutiny went and was not up to putting up with any more crap from ignorant assholes like Red's little friend.

His boyfriend shook his head, leaning in closer to Ness so he wouldn't have to yell. The familiar peppermint scent that washed over him calmed him slightly, bringing his nerves down a notch. "Give me fifteen minutes. And if you're still not having a good time, we can leave."

* * *

 **Well guys, that uh... that uh, yeah. Lucas and Ness are just absolute relationship goals and I hope one day I'll get to exuberate that with my loved one, of course. (*imaginarily hugs my boyfriend*) I'm making Lucas a lot more feisty too, aren't I? Let's get that one trending too! #FeistyLucas and #FeistyNess! It'll work wonders. Since I've gone so long without either one of them having kissed yet, we'll be experiencing something somewhat or other later on in this story, whether it be the next chapter or not... so we'll find out soon enough, shall we?**

 **6- It's fine that you don't review much. You reviewing at all puts the biggest smile on my face, so thank you for that, you have no idea! And I'm so stupid that I forgot what my two options were, but then again, good choice, keep your mind focused on the drama. #FeistyNess and #FeistyLucas is all amazing.**

 **mother-sins- Lol, I love watching you read and get super excited. And we have another Option A! Everyone, option A, it's an Option A.**

 **YuukixMitsuru- Hahaha, it seems everyone is enjoying it a little more than they probably should, no? And yeah, I've been contemplating that. The scene next chapter doesn't elevate the rating at all, but the ones I have planned further on will unless I choose to cut them out and leave it the way it is because teen sex although it happens a lot, is taboo to me and I normally choose to mull over it. I've written it before, hetero and homo, but... I don't know given the age of the characters this time around. And yeah, it's... it's interesting, I'll tell you that, a stronger Lucas. And hey, that wasn't one of the options dude. ;) I need the true vote. A or B? Which is it going to be? Yeah, I'll let him know too, you seem like an amazing gentleman.**

 **Ender2412- Everyone is here for you dude, everyone is. Yuuki promised it, I for sure as hell promise it as well. And yeah, I'll twist my loving boyfriend's arm about it, although he is seldom on anymore given something that I clearly can't disclose, but it's okay. Ness and Lucas both have defensive sides, and we'll see Lucas fly a little bit off the handle before too long, just you wait and see. And nope, gotta wait for what we'll be doing with Nana, gotta wait. And hey, I don't mind those PM's. I spend more of my time responding to PM's than I do actually writing so I'm always open and down for discussion or a simple chat. I don't bite, pinkie promise. Lol. Be prepared for hot kissing scene in next chapter. You've be warned.**

 **Actually, _all_ of you are being warned, it'll be cute, it'll be hot, and probably give everyone, male and female alike, a nosebleed. So love you all! Thanks for reading, please review, do all the good things we've discussed in our spare time because it has made us feel super special and amazing. Be prepared for Tuesday's chapter, and of course, stay classy everywhere, especially if you're in San Francisco. (Anyone get the reference? Eh?). I love you all once again, and have an amazing Sunday. Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	25. Chapter 25: Kissing Game

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of the Raven and the Lion, #25: Kissing Game. I think we all know what is in this chapter my lovelies, and I hope it gets the blood flowing from the heart to everything (If I turn you all on with this, mission accomplished). We'll be in the Rated T zone for this chapter but it'll still be good. I am excited for this chapter most definitely. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ah. Just great. The first slow song of the night. Talk about a way to make an awkward moment even worse.

"Look into my eyes."

Ness half gagged, half laughed. Lucas couldn't be serious.

"We are so not doing this whole 'cheesy romance' thing."

"You're right. We're not. But I still expect you to do as I requested."

"Dude … c'mon. Really?"

The blonde looked at Ness expectantly, obviously not letting this go anytime soon.

Gah. As if they weren't already a spectacle. Yeah, they _so_ needed to add acting like freakin' weirdoes to the list of reasons people were staring at them… still.

Well… it would only be three minutes. That was it. And then he could return to his previous past time of standing around and trying to pretend like he didn't feel the eyes of half of the school on him. The least he could do was humor Lucas and whatever insane notion he'd suddenly gotten, seeing as his boyfriend had spent at least 900 bucks just to arrange this little night.

"I can't believe I'm doing this…" Ness mumbled, looking up and meeting his boyfriend's gaze.

"And no looking away."

One second. Two. Three.

Ness bit down on his lip, trying to stop the silly smile that was already spreading across his face. Which was weird, because this wasn't exactly one of those situations where smiling was an expected response. It was kind of like you had to, though, because keeping a straight face while staring at someone for more than just a few seconds meant you either had absolutely nothing going on up there, or were mentally unstable… and by mentally unstable, he meant in love. Which was just an awkward thought in itself.

"Now put out your hands. But keep your eyes on me."

He let out an embarrassed sigh as he clumsily extended his hands forward. God. Was he really doing this?

Ness jolted slightly as he felt Lucas's hands take hold of his own. He really wanted to look down and see what the hell he was doing, but at the angle he had to crank his head at just to meet his gaze, seeing whatever was going on in his peripheral vision was basically impossible.

"Now step forward."

The raven haired boy hesitated, flushing even more as he followed Lucas's instructions. Yes, of course. The only thing more awkward than staring someone in the eyes was doing it while you were within kissing distance.

His boyfriend's peppermint scent washed over him as he stood mere inches from him, barely winning over the stench of body odor that had engulfed the small gym. Well, at least, if nothing else, he wouldn't have to deal with the smell while he was making a fool out of himself.

"Now move with me. No looking down, or around." Lucas ordered, his steady hands holding up Ness's shaky ones.

"Dude, you're going to have a foot full of broken toes, I swear."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Trust me, Nathaniel, I've had much more substantial football injuries at the hands of guys three times your size."

Ness opened his mouth to respond, only to close it as he felt Lucas move them both back. Then to the left. Forward, and then right, back to where they had started before completing the small circular motion again.

At first, the younger struggled just to keep himself upright, tripping over his own two feet with every step he took. The only way he hadn't ended up flat on his ass several times was because Lucas was supporting him with his own hands. And he knew he was stepping on his boyfriend's feet. He had to be. But Lucas didn't seem to mind, or even notice for that matter. Hell, he was probably just masking it for his sake. This was already embarrassing as hell, stumbling around like some drunk. The only thing that could make it worse was Lucas cringing every few steps because he was crushing his feet.

After thirty seconds or so, though, it became a little easier. Ness stopped stumbling around as much, and began to plant his feet on the auditorium floor instead of his feet. He could actually kinda sorta enjoy the fact that he was this close to his boyfriend instead of just worrying about how ridiculous they both probably looked.

Best of all, though, Lucas was smiling at him. Not smirking, not grinning, but smiling.

"See, this hasn't been such a terribly miserable experience, has it?"

Ness realized for the first time that he was smiling too. And not out of embarrassment, like he had been earlier. He was actually having a good time.

"Of course not. I mean, you're here and all, so it's not like it could've turned out all that bad in the first place."

Crap. Had he really just said that? Talk about serious cheesiness. He really, _really_ needed to watch what he said around Lucas. Because lately, crap like that was coming out. All the time.

"I mean, yeah, it hasn't been too bad."

Too late for that. Lucas was already giving him a weird ass look that he couldn't make heads and tails of.

Time for some damage control. Distractions really were a godsend.

"So, what was with the whole 'me having to look at you the whole time' thing?"

An amused look spread across the jock's face, though he obviously hadn't forgotten about Ness's little comment earlier.

"Nathaniel, do you really think you would have ever attempted to dance long enough to reach this point if you'd been able to look around and see everyone watching us? You would have become much too worried about everyone else and what they were thinking to continue."

Wow. Lucas knew him, like, a hell of a lot better than he gave him credit for. He was so right. If he'd been able to see everyone who was probably laughing at him, he would have definitely stopped. Thank god he hadn't been able to hear them because the music was so loud. But he had known exactly what to do to work around his little problem. He hadn't gotten frustrated, like most people would've. And he hadn't told him to just get over it. He'd worked with him, been patient, yet again.

God. He still couldn't figure out what the hell Lucas saw in him, but he knew two things for sure. One, he so didn't deserve him, not that that was anything new. And two, if the blonde jock kept this up, he might just become an avid belt buckle collector.

* * *

He hadn't figured they'd actually have a good enough time to warrant staying till 11:30, but here they were, just reaching Lucas's car with only thirty minutes left till midnight.

Ness reached forward, moving to open the car door only to feel it pushed back shut from behind him.

Spinning on his heels, he let out a sigh of resignation.

"Lucas, I had fun, really, but I told my mom I'd be back-"

Holy shit. His voice trailed off as he realized how close the blonde was to him. Nate took an involuntary step back, his back coming to rest against Lucas's car.

"Nathaniel, I don't believe I ever said the night was over yet."

To hell with his mother. She could wait.

Ness swallowed hard as the blonde's right hand went to the bottom of the tie he was wearing, his left one still leaning against the car. A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips as his eyes drifted down to the tie, down to Ness's chest.

"You know," he mused, his hand trailing up the tie just slightly, forcing him to move a little closer. "You're quite the dancer. I must confess, I was pleasantly surprised."

He would have laughed if he wasn't so freakin' nervous. Instead, what came out was something between a sharp breath and a muttled 'yeah?'.

Lucas seemed to get the jist of it, moving even closer to Ness as his hand moved even further up the tie.

"Yes. It makes me curious though…" the blonde paused, his eyes drifting down to Ness's mouth for a second. "What else do you have a talent for that you've been hiding from me."

He didn't say it as a question. He said it as a statement.

The younger male could feel his face flush as he realized his whole body was burning up. Maybe it was his boyfriend's body heat. Yeah, that had to be it, because he was so close right now that Nate could literally feel every breath he took come down on him. And god. Nothing had even been more blissfully cruel.

"Why don't we find out."

 _Fuck_. Had he really just said that? That was so not what he had meant to come out of his mouth. Of course, the one thing he did manage to say, and it had to be-

Ness gasped as one of Lucas's hands went to the back of his neck, the other still grasping his tie as he pulled it forward in one swift movement. His lips collided with the blonde's hard as he felt his body being pushed back against the car.

And oh God, his lips were incredibly soft, and warm. This time though, the kiss was nothing like before, when it had been nothing more than a gentle touch. This was more impulsive, more desperate, more 'I want to screw you right here, right now' and less 'you're innocent, so this is going to be as Christian-worthy as I can make it'

And holy shit, didn't his body know it. His heart was racing, his whole body on fire as he realized his hands had gone to Lucas's shirt, fisting the white fabric as he tried to pull him closer. He was totally ripped, Ness could feel it even through his formal shirt as his hands went from tying to pull him closer to trying to get a better feel.

"Lucas..." he tried breathing heavily, but a kiss cut him off.

That was his voice. He knew it was, but god, it sounded nothing like him. His breathing was a mess, a combination of gasps and sharp breaths. It was raspy, desperate as he begged Lucas to give him more of whatever was going on between them.

The blonde's body responded immediately, pressing itself even closer to Ness's till he could practically feel every inch of him. And god. It was amazing, almost amazing enough to distract him from what was happening with his mouth. Lucas's lips had parted, his tongue slowly licking at Ness's lower lip. He tried not to moan. He really did. But there was just no stopping the sound from coming out.

He could feel Lucas smirk into the kiss, obviously pleased by the moan he knew he was responsible for.

And god, Ness wished he could've at least had the self-control to put up at least a little bit of a fight, but the second he'd felt it, he'd known there was pretty much no hope of maintaining any sort of composure.

Opening his lips to Lucas, Ness moaned as he felt the jock's tongue slide inside. People were going to hear, come out to see what was going on and ruin the moment. But his body wasn't listening anymore, at least not to him. Nope. It was dead-set on taking instructions from Lucas and those lips of his.

Damn it, why did he have to breathe? He cursed as he pulled back, his lungs gasping for air as his unsteady breathing filled the night air. Immediately, he felt Lucas's lips move down to his neck, his whole body tensing and seizing up as his boyfriend's tongue alternated between sucking and stroking motions against his bare skin.

He couldn't think straight. Not to save his life. He'd become completely and utterly absorbed in the sensation of Lucas's soft lips against his bare skin, consumed by the feeling as he tangled his hands in the blonde's hair, prodding him on.

The second he caught his breath, though, the blonde's lips were right back on his, sending him on some type of euphoric high. Lucas's hands had gone to work fingering the belt loops of his formal pants, locking their lower bodies together and slowly moving in an up and down motion.

Friction. Yup. And lots of it. He had a hard on as stiff as a rock, and he could feel Lucas's own rub up against him, sending his mind reeling.

Ness tilted his head back a second time, his breath coming in and out in harsh gasps. He'd waited as long as he could to pull away, till he wasn't sure if the fuzzy feeling in his head was from Lucas or his lack of breath.

The jock didn't waste any time dragging his lips across Ness's face, running his tongue across his earlobe with a few deliberate strokes. Ness bit down on his lip to keep from moaning. Crap. If he kept this up he was going to wake up everyone on the block.

Parting his lips, Lucas paused, letting a few hot breaths run down the raven haired boy's neck before taking his earlobe in his mouth. Sucking just long enough to get another moan out of Ness, the blonde drug his teeth across the sensitive flesh, smirking as he let out another sharp gasp.

Holy. Shit.

Ness vaguely registered that Lucas's thumbs had just barely dipped below the hem of his pants, and were inching lower and lower with each and every second.

And then it hit him. Lucas wanted his pants off. Here. Now.

And Ness was so more than willing to oblige. He knew Lucas was way too much of a gentleman to take what he wanted from him here, in the dark, with his back against a car parked two blocks away from their high school, but he wasn't.

They we're going to do it. Right here, up against the side of his boyfriend's rental car, with only the darkness to offer them any privacy.

Ness shakily moved his hands down to his pants, trying to unbutton them. _Fuck_. He hadn't realized how much he was shaking-

"Nathaniel."

He tried to ignore the tone in Lucas's voice, tried to stop him from pulling back as his hands went back to the blonde's shirt, white knuckling it like his life depended on it.

"What- what are you doing. Lucas, no-"

He knew from the way that his boyfriend's body had totally tensed up, and not in the way Ness was responsible for, that he was trying to gain control of himself.

"Not here."

"Then let's go back to your place."

"No-"

"Lucas, c'mon. I know you want it. I know you want to-"

"This isn't about what I want."

"Yeah, well, let's make it about what I want then."

"Nathaniel."

"Or just consider it my way of paying you back for the tux."

Lucas's breathing stopped for a second before he let out a tight laugh.

"Did you just really try and whore yourself out to me?"

Wow. He really had gotten desperate, hadn't he? He was shameless. Without a doubt.

"You're my boyfriend. If anything, you should blame yourself for making me resort to this instead of just taking advantage of me like any good boyfriend would."

The blonde let out another small laugh, and despite his best efforts, Ness did too. Hesitantly, he let go of Lucas's shirt, letting him take a few steps back. His breathing was still hot and uneven, and he was going to need a while to cool down before his body started wanting anything except Lucas again. He knew, though, that he'd been lucky to get this much out of him.

"You know, Nathaniel, you're quite cunning when it comes to getting something you truly want."

"Yeah, well, maybe you're finally starting to rub off on me-"

Gah. That was so not the right thing to say. Any references to rubbing, or touching of any sort were only going to remind him of what had just gone down between the two of them.

"Crap. I didn't mean to-"

Ness's voice faltered as he heard something… a ringing sound, coming from Lucas's direction. Ah, his phone. He watched silently, trying to catch his breath as Lucas pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Luke, who-"

Lucas looked up, his face suddenly tense as he spoke in a hushed tone.

"Get into the car. Now."

Ness would have normally protested, except he recognized that tone, remembered it from the time Lucas had come out of his house to find his car trashed.

He obliged, glancing around anxiously and making sure Lucas was in the car with him with the door fully closed before speaking.

"What's going on?"

Lucas locked the doors, glancing around for a split second before handing Ness his phone.

He froze as the image staring back at him registered in his mind. On it was a picture of him and Lucas kissing, up against a car. This car. Attached to the picture text was a small message.

 _I see you have chosen to aggravate me. Very well. Expect to reap the consequences._

Holy shit. Someone had been watching them… the whole time, and was probably still watching them. They had just taken this, no longer than a few minutes ago. Guess it was a good thing he hadn't gotten what he'd wanted, then they'd really have a picture.

"Who the hell sent this to you?" Ness asked, his throat suddenly growing dry as Lucas started the car and pulled away from the curb. His mouth was drawn into a thin line, his jaw tight.

"I don't have an answer to that question, Nathaniel."

Shit. This was crazy. Insane.

"I don't- I mean, how the hell could someone know where-"

Ness stopped mid-sentence as the deafening truth dawned on him. Of course. They must've been following him and Lucas the whole night.

"Dude, I seriously think we need to call the cops now. This is, like, serious stalking shit."

Lucas looked even tenser at Nate's suggestion.

"No. I'll handle this."

"Lucas! Stop being such a freakin' hard-ass about this! This isn't some little game-"

"Nathaniel, you don't think I'd ever put you in danger, do you?"

Ness shot him a frustrated glare. "Of course not!"

"Then stop worrying yourself over this."

"I guess you didn't get the whole memo that you're my boyfriend now, so if someone's messing with you I'm kind of going to worry. Seriously, just let me call the cops."

"I can't."

He eyes narrowed. "And why the hell not?"

"Trust me, Nathaniel, doing so would only create more problems."

Ness leaned back in his seat, trying not to take the fact that he was worried and confused as hell out on Lucas. He hated being kept in the dark. He knew the blonde was probably doing it because he thought it was for his own good, but c'mon. He was a part of all this now. And if someone had an issue with Lucas, they had an issue with him.

Well, at least this would take care of the little problem in his pants. Realizing a psycho-stalker had just watched you and your boyfriend make out for the first time was a real buzz kill.

* * *

 **There we are guys! Damn... damn, that was hot wasn't it? Hahahaha, I love you all and am super glad you all would let me write something this amorous, even in the worst of scenarios. So, what do you want now? To find out whom this stalker is... or more Lucas x Ness? We'll find out eventually the former and get more of the latter clearly, but which do you need first, lol?**

 **YuukixMitsuru- You made your review for Chapter 23 again... as you have two reviews on the chapter. Option B eh? Tie breaker of keeping things together and real, I suppose. Okay, think and pick whatever you want. And, thanks. My boyfriend and I don't live in the same state actually, we live far from each other and are doing long distance relationships, but it's working out just peachy. And thank heavens, too, I appreciate the knowledge. Your compliments are so nice!**

 **Ender2412- Yeah, tough guys aren't a-holes. Lucas is a tough guy, no? And everyone should accept Lucas x Ness or they're crazy, and I love writing this. And absolutely! I'm always open. I've been listening to Shawn Mendes's I Know What You Did Last Summer over and over again, on hour loops and I love that song. I can somewhat sing it kinda well, lol. And don't worry, you'll find out why Red is the way he is soon enough... like Chapter 28 or something maybe.**

 **mother-sins- Lol. Was this chapter good enough for you in the 'just kiss department?' They kissed! With Nana, we'll get that decision on Chapter #26 I wanna say.**

 **Short AN's, I understand, gotta see a movie. Um... Heart of the Sea. I'll see you all on the 10th, our Thursday afternoon for Chapter #26. I love you guys so much and hope to see you leave a review (proper chapter this time hahahahaha, just so I can respond). Thanks for being amazing readers, amazing reviewers, and amazing people in general. Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	26. Chapter 26: Friends Backlash

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #26: Friends Backlash. There's a lot of drama in this chapter, and when I say that, you all know... there's a lot of drama in this chapter lol. So I tallied up the votes of the Nana controversy thingy (thanks to all of those who did cast their vote- I had twenty five, and I had to cast mine in as well to an even 26, HEY just like the chapter #! Option A won by a landslide guys, 17 to 9... like ouch. Damn. Just... damn. So, we've got a good chapter today, hope you guys enjoy! AND I am super sorry guys, but I can't reply to reviews tonight, just a quick AN and I have to go. I promise this will not happen anymore and if it does, I'll let you know. Thanks guys, you're the greatest of all!**

* * *

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

Ness opened one eye, then the other. Gah. What time was it? Nate took a few second to wait for his vision to focus before glancing at the clock.

8:43 A.M. on a Saturday morning. Who the hell was texting him this early?

Reaching for his phone, he felt a small smile spread across his face as he recognized Lucas's number on the text. If it had been _anyone_ else, he would have cussed them out and gone back to bed for a good three hours. Not that he exactly had a whole lot of people that texted him in the first place. But still.

He flipped open his phone, squinting as he skimmed over the text.

 _I'm sure you're still sleeping, Nathaniel, but I want you to text me when you get up. I'm just checking in with you to make sure everything's alright after what happened last night._

The first thing that ran through Ness's mind at the mention of last night was the nice little make out session him and the blonde had well... had. He could feel a flush come to his face just at the thought as his body tensed up slightly. Yeah, that had been amazing. Every second of it. His only objection was that it hadn't lasted long enough.

Rereading the text, though, Ness realized Lucas must've been talking about the creepy ass picture he'd gotten and the deafening revelation that someone had been following them the whole night. Yup. That made a hell of a lot more sense than Nate's first thought, though he definitely liked the first one better.

The raven haired boy felt an undeniable warmth spread through his chest as he realized if Lucas had texted him, that meant he must've been thinking about him. He was checking in on him to make sure he was safe. And wasn't that just the best way to start off his Saturday morning.

Ness texted him back quickly, not wanting to worry him any more than he probably already had.

 _Yeah. Everything's fine here. What about you? Any more nice little pictures?_

He probably should've been a hell of a lot more worried about this whole 'someone was obsessively stalking him and Lucas' thing, except he was way too busy being happy. He couldn't remember the last time he'd woken up with a smile on his face, and not just any smile, the ridiculous, toothy kind that makes your cheeks hurt from being so wide. He hadn't felt this carefree and just... content, in forever. Stupid hot ass blonde boyfriend. Making him into some smiling, 'The world is an amazing place full of daisies and rainbows' pansy.

Glancing down at the phone, Ness forced himself upright, deciding he'd better get up instead of just sitting around and obsessively checking his phone every few seconds. He'd already reached an all new low last night when he'd practically begged Lucas to have sex with him. Yup. Definitely not his greatest moment. He didn't need to make himself even more pathetic by actually acknowledging the fact that his whole day would probably revolve around texts from his boyfriend.

"Nathaniel, breakfast!"

Ness barely registered the sound of his mother's voice calling out to him from the downstairs kitchen. God. He hated how his mother always insisted on having meals together. If he hadn't gotten up already, he would have just pretended to be asleep for a few more hours to avoid the whole thing. No way he could do that now, though. She'd obviously already heard him moving around upstairs.

Checking the phone once more, he sighed before heading downstairs and taking a seat in the dining room.

His mother appeared shortly after, setting a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him.

"So, how was the dance?"

Ness took his time chewing the bacon and eggs he'd just stuffed into his mouth, stalling for time.

"Good. Yeah, it was… fun."

That was certainly one way to put it.

"Yes? Well, I'm glad. It's such a shame you don't participate in more school events, Nathaniel. Maybe then you'd have a few more friends."

So much for his good mood. Ness tried not to glare at his mother as he focused his gaze on the plate of food in front of him. He knew she meant well, really. But she sure as hell had a way of making him feel like crap every time they talked.

"Nathaniel!"

He snapped his head up, alerted by his mother's gasp. Following her gaze, he realized what she was staring at… the nice little hickey Lucas had left at the base of his neck. Crap. How the hell was he going to explain this?

"Um… see, well, this isn't what it looks like." Ness flushed deeply. Talk about awkward. This was so not a conversation he wanted to have with his mother when he'd just woken up... or ever, for that matter.

"I never thought Nana was that type of girl."

"Nana. Yeah. She's, uh, she's an interesting girl." Well, if she'd already come to that conclusion, who was he to ruin the nice little fantasy she had going on in her head.

Ness's mother let out a sigh of disapproval, pursing her lips.

"Nathaniel, please, be smart about these things. I don't want you fooling around and getting her pregnant."

"Mom!"

"I'm just saying, honey."

"Really, it's just a hickey."

"Yes, well I know what those things lead to."

Gah. She was already overreacting to the fact that she thought he'd made out with a girl, and not just any girl, but a girl he'd known practically his entire life. Imagine what she'd say if she knew he'd made out with Lucas, his new boyfriend of less than one week. Yeah. She'd really love that.

"Whatever, mom."

Suddenly, Ness wasn't all that hungry. Pushing his plate away, he began to stand up before being halted by his mother's voice.

"That reminds me. She called last night. Apparently, she's coming over this morning, around noon I think. She said she had something important to talk to you about."

Ness's eyes narrowed. Crap. Now he'd have to fill her in on the little lie to make sure she didn't blow his cover.

"Did she say anything else?"

His mother shook her head. "No, but for god sakes, please cover that thing up," she chided, motioning to the hickey. "I always knew you two would end up together seeing as you're always around one another, but I'd like you to at least wait to do those things till you don't live under my roof."

Ah, he could just about choke on her old-age beliefs. His mother always seemed to be living in the past. Look at his stupid freakin' name. That should've been his first indication.

* * *

Ness glanced at the clock. Damn it. Five minutes before Nana was supposed to arrive. He really wasn't all that eager to talk to her. He'd spent the rest of his morning texting Lucas, trying to get him to divulge more info about why he kept insisting on handling the situation by himself instead of calling the cops. As always, the jock had sidestepped all his questions without his younger lover even realizing it until they had moved to a totally different subject.

Although, to be honest, he couldn't really protest. He liked talking to Lucas. Even when it was about nothing, though he'd never actually admit to it.

 _So, I've been contemplating making movie night's every Friday a tradition of ours._

A sheepish grin spread across Ness's face as he skimmed the text. This would be their first official 'thing' to do as a couple. He felt like a complete moron getting all excited about something like this, but he couldn't help but fancy the idea that he would have a whole night of alone time to look forward to with Lucas at the end of every week. Besides, some scheduled alone time sounded like a perfect setup for a lot more of what had happened last night. And he sure as hell wasn't going to pass up a chance for that.

 _Yeah, that sounds like a good idea._

 _Ding Dong._

Ness let out a heavy sigh as the doorbell rang. Nana was here, which meant he'd actually have to put down his phone, god forbid. He'd practically been attached to it the whole morning. Hearing his mother open the door and greet his best friend, he didn't bother going downstairs as he heard Nana make her way up the stairs, then into his room.

"Hey." she said, her meek tone of voice alerting him immediately.

"Hello. What's up?"

"Umm… listen, we need to talk."

Ness's eyes narrowed as she took a seat beside him on his bed.

"Alright. Sure. What's up?"

Nana took a deep breath, as if preparing herself for a long rant. "Listen, Ness. I know you've been busy lately and all. And I get it, really. You have a new boyfriend. But that doesn't mean you can just push me to the side because you want to get some ass. I mean-"

"That's not what I'm doing," he shot back, suddenly feeling defensive. Sure, he liked kissing Lucas. Who the hell wouldn't? But that wasn't why he was going out with him. "I like him. And I'm not ditching you or whatever. I've just been… busy. I mean, it's not my fault you're jealous."

Nana shot him a catty glare, crossing her arms. "Excuse me?"

"I know you like him. And I know you're jealous because I'm paying more attention to him than to you."

"Get off your high horse, Ness. That's not why I'm freakin pissed."

"Yeah. Okay." He'd always known Nana had been the jealous type, but seriously? She was the one who had encouraged the relationship in the first place.

"You didn't even bother to tell me you two were going out! I had to find out through another one of my friends that saw you two at homecoming the other night! I mean, what the hell? We used to tell each other everything! Now you don't even bother to tell me the two of you are going to homecoming together? Oh, and don't forget I was the one who set the two of you up in the first place! You two probably wouldn't even be together if it weren't for me!"

"So what do you want me to do, Nana? Give you a trophy?" Alright. Maybe he should've been a little bit more grateful, but if she expected him to just blow off Lucas for her, she had another thing coming.

"Stop being such an asshole, Ness! God, what the hell has your problem been lately? Just because you're dating doesn't mean you're some big shot all of a sudden!"

"Don't you think I know that? God, Nana, this hasn't exactly been easy for me, either!"

At some point, they had gone from having a heated discussion to screaming at the top of their lungs at one another.

"Yeah? 'Cause I'm sure being romanced by Lucas is such a horrible experience to go through!" The sarcasm in her voice was just enough to push him over the edge.

"Oh _fuck_ you! Stop being such a bitter bitch!"

"You know what, Nate! I hate to break it to you, but I'm not the one that's changed! You are! You're the one who freakin' acted like you were too good for him for the longest time! And I was the one who made you realize you were being an idiot about it, which was probably a mistake!"

"And what the hell does that mean?"

"You and Lucas! You guys aren't good for each other! You've become a total asshole since you've started hanging with him and had to deal with bullying from Red and all that crap! You've been lying to your mom right and left! You just leave school in the middle of the day without telling anybody! You've been an emotional wreck! I mean, I've never known you to just go to some random party and get drunk off your ass and have sex with some guy without even remembering it! You wouldn't have done that if it weren't for all the shit going on between you and Lucas, Ness!"

His eyes bulged. He so couldn't believe she'd gone there. That was low. Really _fucking_ low. And, just great, she was opening that huge ass mouth of hers to spew out more bullshit.

"Lucas's apparently had his car trashed, and thanks to you he lost his best friend, Red! And now, because of him, you're pushing me away!"

"This isn't his fault! Did you ever, just for once, think that you're the problem! You're so freakin' annoying, with all your stupid little gossiping and sticking your nose where it doesn't belong! God! Take a damn hint!"

Nana leaned forward and smacked him, hard, across the face. "You freakin' asshole! I almost got raped because of you!"

Ness froze. Crap. What was she talking about?

"But, of course, you haven't been around for me to tell you! Red almost raped me! And where the hell were you? Off with Lucas! Yeah, you've been such an amazing best friend lately that I almost got raped because of you! Oh, but I guess this must just be me being a bitter bitch, right? Yeah. Okay. You know what, though. When Lucas leaves you because he realizes how much of an asshole you are, you're going to be alone because you pushed me away. And you're going to deserve it!"

Ness sat there in complete shock as Nana bolted up and stormed out.

Holy crap. She'd almost gotten raped because of him. And he hadn't even been there for her to tell him about it. Sure, he'd seen her in school, but that wasn't exactly a place where you could talk about almost being raped. There was always someone listening at school, always people nearby.

And, hell, she hadn't been wrong about him not filling her in on what had been going on between him and Lucas. He hadn't bothered to tell her… well, pretty much anything. And god, wasn't this little revelation a little too late in coming.

He didn't regret pursuing a relationship with the jock. He couldn't, even if he tried. No matter how much she wanted to blame it on his boyfriend, he wasn't responsible for neglecting her. Ness was.

And he'd failed her, basically in the worst way. There was really only one thing left to do at this point. And honestly, he was so not looking forward to it.

* * *

Shulk regarded Red with utter disgust as he watched the guy toss back another Sam Adams.

"What in the hell did you think you were doing trying to rape that girl?"

"Sending a message." the boy drawled, his words slurring together.

"You dumb –" he stopped himself, trying to control his anger. How the hell had he thought aligning himself with a guy that had about as much intelligence as a seven year old would be a good idea?

"Do you really think drawing attention to yourself is a good idea?"

"Why? I've got nothing to hide." Red spat, shooting Shulk a cocky glare.

"I'm sorry. Did you forget that we drugged Ness and convinced him into thinking I had sex with him? You think that would go over very well with Lucas? Hell, he'd probably beat you till you couldn't stand."

"For one, you drugged Ness, not me. I just provided the drugs. And two, you better remember who you're talking to. Stop treating me like your damn bitch, unless you want me to kick your ass."

The construction worker's jaw tightened, his fingers curling inward reflexively. So it was going to be this way. Fine. Looks like Red needed a little lesson in obedience.

"Alright, fine. You wanna kick my ass? C'mon. I dare you."

Red snickered, taking a few drunken steps forward. Even swaying right and left, he still made a point to keep a firm grip on his beer.

"Even drunk, I can kick your faggot ass."

"Then put your money where your mouth is." This was almost too easy, baiting the idiot like this.

The younger boy lurched forward, taking a drunken swing at Shulk only to have the wind knocked out of him as he received a headbut to the gut. His Sam Adams fell to the floor, the glass shattering upon impact as Red stumbled backwards, trying and failing to regain his balance before falling back-first onto the hard linoleum. Grunting, he inhaled sharply as he felt the shards of glass pierce his flesh, embedding themselves in his skin.

Well, if he could feel that, he obviously hadn't had enough to drink.

Before he could get up, Shulk jumped on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

"Get off me, you-"

"Oh, I will… eventually."

Red felt a pang of fear pulse through him as Shulk's eyes met his own. No. Fucking. Way. He couldn't be planning to…

"You wanted to rape that girl. Fine. I really could care less. The thing is, though, now I'm aligned with you, which means your actions have direct repercussions for me. And, unfortunately, you seem to be under the impression that you can do whatever you want. You can't. Anything you do has to go through me. Period. I can't afford to have you slipping up and blowing this for me. So. You know what they say, there's nothing more effective than a dose of one's own medicine."

Red swallowed hard as panic began to tense up his body, leaving him rigid. Holy shit. This had to be a dream. Had to be.

Leaning forward, an evil smile snaked its way across Shulk's face as his hands moved to the bully's pants. Red tried to struggle, tried to break free of Shulk's grip, but as inebriated as he was, he could barely even see straight, let alone put up a good fight. His face contorted in horror as he registered the sound of Shulk unzipping his pants, and then the feel of the guy's calloused hands on his hips, tugging them down to his knees.

"Not so tough anymore, are we Red? What was your wording again? Ah yes, 'you're not my bitch'. Well, we both know there's only one way to change that."

* * *

 **Word of advice, guys. I know I just am about to have Red completely taken advantage over by another man into sexual intercourse. I get it, I've alluded to rape, that of course Shulk will do to Red because that is the Homs character in this story as a creeper. But I see one review from anyone saying Red deserves this for being an asshole and what he's done will automatically be banned / blocked from PM'ing me, thus unable to review my stories as well, and perhaps other things. I will not tolerate actions such as that. Call me a hypocrite, sure, but you know what, that is something I do not condone no matter who the person is. Rape is one of the worst things on the planet to endure, if not _the_ worst when you live through it, and I will not take anyone making jokes about it on my story review page. Do I make myself clear? Good. Now have fun reviewing! **

**(I kid. I kid, but seriously, be smart guys. I'm not kidding.)**

 **I love you all, sorry about the whole no review reply thing, I'll promise you that it shouldn't happen again and if it does, you'll know once again. Thanks for reading, and I hope I see you on the 12th for my next update, where many questions will be asked, and some answers given. Any guess as to what? Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	27. Chapter 27: History Between Us

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #27: History Between Us. It is finally time to unearth some secrets I've been hiding from you guys, such as how Red and Lucas have such an... interesting history together, what Ness's mother may or may not do with the argument Nana and him had, and even more like a new backstory for the blonde jock's mother! Great chapter today, amazing chapter on the 14th, which will be a very special reader's very lucky day, and I cannot wait to get this show on the road guys! Enjoy!**

* * *

Ness stared up at the speckled pattern on his ceiling, trying to make sense of all the thoughts playing bumper cars in his mind.

He had almost gotten Nana raped. He had made Lucas loose his best friend. He was lying to his mother. He was failing math. And, on top of it all, his boyfriend had some creepy ass stalker that was following them around playing peeping tom on the both of them. God.

How was it that just this morning everything had seemed perfect, and by the end of the day his whole life had gone to hell? More like Nana had put a different spin on things. Not much had changed, to be honest. She'd just brought up all the shit he'd been carefully pushing to the back of his mind these past few weeks.

Except for the little bit about her almost getting raped, of course. Thank god that asshole Red hadn't succeeded. If he had… gah, Ness couldn't even think about it. He still loved Nana, in a brother/sister way, and he always would. I mean, how could he not? They'd both grown up together. Hell, she practically was his sister, or the closest thing to it that he'd ever get. And he'd been treating her like crap.

 _Knock. Knock._

Ness flinched, glancing over at the door. Crap. There was no way his mother hadn't heard him and Nana's little spat. Which meant a whole lot of shit was about to hit the fan.

"Come in…" he muttered, knowing he really didn't have a choice in the matter but saying the words anyways.

The door creaked open, a tense look on Ness's mother's face as she stood in the doorway. He took note of the distance she made an obvious choice to put between them instead of actually coming into the room. Disgusting.

His mother cleared her throat, her eyes darting shiftily from the floor to Ness and then back down again.

"So… Nathaniel. I think we may need to have a talk."

Ness felt his whole frame tense up, involuntarily holding his breath as he waited for her to continue.

"You and Nana had a fight."

She stated it as if she'd just told him she'd found a secret stash of dirty magazines between his mattresses.

"Yeah…"

"And, perhaps… a few things were said… by her. Lies, rather. In the heat of the argument."

He felt physically sick as he realized what she was trying to do. She was giving him a chance to deny it, a chance for the two of them to pretend like he was normal, to go back to the way things were before and live a lie every day. The desperation in her eyes told him that she needed him to reassure her that what she'd heard wasn't true, that it had all been a lie.

But she knew. She had to.

And she would rather have the both of them live in blatant denial than face the truth, face the fact that her son was gay.

He couldn't deal. Not after he had just lost his best friend. He couldn't lose his mother too.

"Yeah… she was lying." He'd never felt more low in his life. Not once.

Ness's mother let out a sigh of relief, forcing a tight smile.

"That's what I thought. I knew I hadn't raised my son like that."

Of course. Because if she had, then she'd have to recognize the fact that she'd failed as a parent, leaving her son defective, as she'd probably say.

Yup. Defective. Diseased. Disturbed. Take your pick. That was what he'd be to her if he admitted the truth.

He couldn't breathe, not here in this room with her. The air was too heavy. The room was too small. She was too close. And he was too weak. Bolting up, Ness grabbed his phone and headed for the door.

"I need some air." he called over his shoulder, breaking into a dead run as he bolted out the door.

* * *

Red flinched as he felt Lucas's gloved hand come down on his back, careful to inflict as little pain as possible as he pulled another shard of glass from his back.

The boy grunted, his whole body seizing up in pain as he clenched his teeth, determined not to scream. He'd already lost enough of his pride today. He didn't need to add screaming like a little pussy to the list.

"Thanks… for coming." he hissed through clenched teeth, though his voice was barely above a whisper. He'd been the only one Red had trusted to call, the only person he knew he could count on despite all the bad shit that had happened between them lately.

Lucas nodded, repeating the question he'd first asked when he'd arrived.

"I need to know who did this to you."

Red grunted as he felt Lucas pull another shard of glass from his back, balling the white sheets on his bed into a tight ball with his fists.

"No one. It was an accident. I dropped the beer and fell. Stop being such a good old hardass and drop it."

The jock was quiet for a moment, his eyes drifting across the other male's face, a masked expression on his face.

"Red… I know you're lying to me."

He cursed inwardly. Lucas had always been able to read him a hell of a lot better than he felt comfortable with.

"Just... drop it, alright. We don't need to get into any further shit than we're already in."

"Red, this could be important…a series of peculiar events have transpired over the past few weeks that have led me to believe the past may finally be catching up with us."

The other boy's eyes narrowed. Even through the pain, he could still think straight enough to know that if Lucas was telling him, things had to have gotten pretty serious.

"What the- what haven't you bee telling me?"

"I received a letter recently. It contained information only you and I would know."

Red swallowed hard, his throat suddenly feeling dry.

"I haven't told anyone. I swear."

"I know…" Lucas's gaze drifted off, a pensive look spreading across his face for a second.

"Someone was watching Nathaniel and I last night. They-"

"I told you to stop screwing around with that gay-ass fag-"

The boy gasped as he felt the blonde, angrily rather, pulled another shard of glass out of his back, this time making sure that he felt it when he did.

"Enough. This is not open for discussion."

"Lucas, you know what it's going to- going to lead to. How can you even-"

"I'm not him, Red."

Both boys fell silent, a few seconds passing before the hock spoke again.

"I am not telling you this because I desire a second opinion. I'm telling you this for your personal safety. Someone has an obvious problem with me, and I'm worried they may intend to harm those closest to me. They know things I wouldn't have thought possible. Which probably means they know about you and I. If someone did this to you, I need you to tell me."

"Well… that's not what happened. I'm not saying anyone did this to me, because they didn't…" Red cleared his throat, forcing himself to continue. "But if they did, it would have been because of a personal issue. That's it. That's all I'm saying, nothing more."

"Red. If someone-"

"Just stop and screw off, alright. I don't want you involved." God knew he already owed him more than he'd ever be able to make up for.

Lucas let out a slow, drawn out sigh, pulling the last shard of glass from Red's back before cleaning the open wounds with disinfectant and bandaging them.

"Fine. But understand two things. One, our security has been compromised. Someone knows about what happened. And they know about you and I-"

"Do you have any idea who it is?"

The blonde's jaw tightened slightly. "I have a suspicion."

"Who-"

"You are not the only one that can withhold information, Red. I know how you are. If I told you, the first thing you would do would be to take matters into your own hands-"

"Oh c'mon-"

"Dude, this person's dangerous. They know what they're doing. And they have the upper hand right now."

"So, why the hell are they doing this? And why haven't they-"

"Because, Red. Whoever's doing this, to them it isn't just a matter of ill-intent. They're quite enjoying this game of cat and mouse, and they will continue to remain silent, knowing what they do, as long as they continue to derive pleasure from it. And in regards to why... that is none of your concern."

"Bullshit! You know what's going to happen when this little game between you and whoever's messing with you ends, Lucas."

The blonde's eyes narrowed at Red. "I made a choice that comes with certain consequences. That's all you need to know, if this event isn't related to it."

Sometimes he could be such a stubborn ass about everything.

"Lucas, let me help-"

"It's not up to you to fix what I've done."

Red's eyes flared with something most people thought him incapable of. Guilt.

"Dude… just don't do anything stupid without me. I want to know if any more of this shit goes down."

Lucas stood up, his expression softening slightly as he looked down at Red.

"You should know, Nathaniel, he is important to me. I don't want you touching him again, ever. Under no circumstances, understand? I don't care if you think it's what's best for me. I will react accordingly if you choose to do so."

Red nodded, feeling exhaustion take over as his eyes began to feel heavy, his body suddenly fatigued. He vaguely registered the feel of a blanket being draped over his body as he tried to stay conscious.

"Thanks… again."

Lucas looked down at him, brushing his hair out of his face as the boy drifted off to sleep.

"That's what brothers are for, right?"

* * *

Trying to steady his breathing, Ness made a futile attempt to think straight. Where was he going? Why the hell couldn't he stand up to his mother? It was pathetic, really, that he needed her approval that much that he'd blatantly lie about part of who he was. A big part.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Ness whipped out his phone and texted the only person he knew could make him feel at all better.

 _Hey Lucas. I know it's not Friday and all, but I could really use a movie night… or any excuse to get out of the house._

Ness only had to wait a few seconds to get a response out of him.

 _I'll be there in five._

He skimmed over the text, then reread it. Something was off about it. It wasn't like Lucas to be this prompt. Well, looks like they'd both had a crappy weekend so far.

* * *

Sliding into his boyfriend's car, Ness immediately noted the fact that the peppermint scent it normally carried was stronger than usual.

"Hello, Nathaniel."

The raven haired boy flashed a smile. "Hey. What's up?"

"Nothing relevant. What happened to warrant such a pressing need to be away from your house?"

Ness let out another heavy sigh.

"Well, first, it was Nana. She came over and we got into a stupid fight. She started yelling at me about how I wasn't being a good friend to her and I was choosing you over her. Then she started spewing some bullshit about how you and I weren't good for each other-"

Lucas's mouth twitched just slightly at that, though he kept his expression the same.

"Yeah. I know. Stupid, right? Anyways, she just said a lot of messed up crap and… well, apparently Red tried to rape her."

The blonde's eyes narrowed, his lips drawing into a thin line.

"Ah… it seems him and I have another conversation in order."

"Lucas, I don't want you getting yourself beat up again-"

"Don't worry yourself with such things, Nathaniel. You already have more than enough problems to contend with."

"Luke-"

"I'll take care of it. I'm not arguing with you about this. Trust me. Besides, I believe you've already had more than your fair share of fighting to deal with today. This should be your time to cool down, not worry yourself even more."

He was right. He didn't want his time with his boyfriend to be spent arguing. Which meant he'd have to wait to figure out what had happened to get Lucas all tense and shit, no doubt it wasn't exactly something he wanted to talk about. If he wanted him to know, he would've told him. That didn't mean Ness was just going to let it go, though. Not by a long shot.

* * *

Staring up at the makeshift screen on Lucas's rooftop, Ness allowed his mind to slowly let go of all the drama that had happened earlier that day, allowing his mind to focus solely on the image of Jasmine and Aladin ridding on the magic carpet. Yup. Disney movies always had a nostalgic, relaxing sort of effect on him, as childish as it was, and he was grateful the blonde jock seemed to have picked up on it.

Jolting slightly, Ness took a sharp breath as he felt something on his shoulders. Lucas's hands. He hadn't noticed him move behind him, which was a first, considering most of the time he was acutely aware of every little motion his boyfriend made during times like these when they were both alone.

"Just relax." Lucas whispered, his hands moving along Ness's shoulders, apply pressure to just the right places. A massage, Erik was giving him a massage. There was nothing sexual about it, which for once, he was grateful for. It was purely considerate… caring.

At first, Ness was tense as hell, his whole body stiff even more so than before just because Lucas was touching him. After a few minutes, though, he began to relax and actually enjoy the therapeutic sensation. By the end of the movie, he felt completely at ease.

Neither one of them moved as the credits started rolling, and then the screen went completely black. He didn't feel like going home. No doubt his mother would light into him about taking off without tell her, and being gone for so long, especially after dark, and he wasn't ready to deal with another fight.

Lucas's hands had stopped the amazing therapeutic motions they'd been treating him to, but were still resting on his shoulders.

Finally, the blonde spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Nathaniel… there are a lot of things that… I wish I could tell you. But I feel that doing so would jeopardize you even further."

"Lucas, you know I'm not worried about all that crap. I mean, whatever it is, I can handle it."

The blonde let out a tight laugh. "How quickly you promise yourself to something you know nothing of."

Ness wished he could see him right now. He wished he could turn around and look him in the eyes. But it wouldn't matter anyways, because they were in complete darkness.

"I don't need to know. You've been telling me to trust you this whole time, right? Well, I do. Finally. I trust you. But this can't be one sided. You need to trust me to and tell me what the hell is going on. Because honestly, Lucas, everything else in my life right now is just… a mess. I need to know I'm not messing up by trusting you just to find out things haven't been mutual."

A heavy silence passed between them, neither one moving. Finally, Lucas slid his hands off of his shoulders, leaving a tingly trail down Ness's back before standing up. He followed suit, turning to face where he knew Lucas was standing.

"Very well… this isn't the place to discuss such matters, though."

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he followed Lucas back down to his apartment. Finally, he was going to get some answers. His boyfriend was actually trusting him, instead of shuffling him off to the sidelines like some troublesome child.

Coming to a sharp stop, Ness almost ran straight into Lucas as he stood frozen in the doorway to his apartment.

"Dude, what-"

Before he could finish his question, Lucas surged forward, breaking into a dead run. Ness followed suit, only to freeze after moving forward a few steps.

The grammar books that had once rested on Lucas's bookshelf were now scattered in tattered heaps across his apartment floor. Everything else had remained untouched. But the books were shredded to shit, every single one of them.

A steely look spread across his face as he dropped down to his knees, sifting through the remains. His movements were frantic, as if he was trying to comprehend the mess scattered at his knees.

Ness felt a surge of fear ripple through him as he stood in the doorway. The jock was muttering something to himself, his eyes glazed over like he was about to cry. Except he didn't. He was too busy trying to make sense of the mess.

"Lucas, I-"

He snapped his head up, as if pulled out of whatever trance he'd been in as he met Ness's gaze. A look of realization spread across his face as he bolted up and sprinted into his bedroom.

Ness stood frozen in the doorway, paralyzed by fear. He wasn't scared, not of the person that had done this. He was scared of what he'd seen in Lucas's eyes. This person, whoever it was, had finally gotten to him. Bad.

And right now, he needed to be there for him. He had no idea what was going on, or what he'd be able to do, but he sure as hell wasn't going to leave him alone after what had just happened. Lucas had been there for him plenty of times. Now it was his turn to do the same.

Forcing himself forward, Ness followed his boyfriend into the bedroom. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the only opened drawer in the dresser parallel to it. The book. There'd been a book there, Nate remembered from the time he'd gone snooping through his apartment earlier.

"Lucas…"

Ness slowly approached his boyfriend, sitting down beside him and following his gaze. He had no idea what to say. Hell, he had no idea what exactly he was even dealing with here.

"The books… we can replace them."

"No…" Lucas whispered, his voice flat and monotone. "They were hers."

"Your mother's?"

The blonde nodded, his eyes far off and distant. Nate did the only thing he knew he could, taking Lucas's hand in his and squeezing it gently.

"Lucas… I'm sorry."

"It's my fault, you know."

"What?"

Lucas slowly turned his head, his empty gaze meeting Ness's.

"My mother. I killed her."

* * *

 **OH SHIT! That's right! Lucas and Red are brothers, and apparently Lucas killed his own mother... damn, what in the hell do we have going on here? Ridiculous drama, that's what I'd call it. We are close to the climax of this story, and we'll be having a lot of things mull over and shift that's going to freak a lot of you out and make you cry and all that shit, but it's what I got to do. I wanted Cross Examined to be drama filled, but I think The Raven and the Lion has beat it by tenfold, no? So... holy god. Ness had to lie to his own mother, this stalker person broke into Lucas's house and now it is time to get into the real good shit. You're all in for a treat.**

 **Ender2412- You are one lucky bastard. On Monday, on your birthday, you have the most dramatic filled chapter being posted on your birthday. Few get that as their birthday present, and the chapter on Monday is quite long too, so you're extremely lucky. Hope it'll be a good birthday present! I hope this sheds some life on Red and his well, asshole part of him, looking out for his brother in the backwards sense of things. Ness and Nana had their blowout, but they're best friends... they'll get over it. Probably in twenty years though at how I write, haha. Ness is throwing himself at Lucas, the blonde is all he thinks about, rather intoxicating and unhealthy. Happy songs lol. I'm currently listening to Windows XP remixes of the starting sound of the computer. Really.**

 **mother-sins- Lol, you'll be saying poor Red, poor Lucas, poor Ness, and poor Nana a lot from here on out, for future reference. And, they may get things worked out, but who knows, a lot can happen in a weekend. You'll find out who wrote that letter soon enough, don't worry my dear little child.**

 **That's all for today from this story guys, thanks so much for being amazing readers. Please review! I know a ton of you probably have things to say, especially about this chapter and things further on because the drama is about to explode all over the place. This isn't the only update I have tonight, as I'm updating in an entirely different fandom for an entirely different story called Death Under the Sky if you want to read more of my non Smash stuff later to keep you busy. See you on Monday for a super special update for my amazing reader Ender2412 and his sixteenth birthday! Have a great day guys, love you all!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	28. Chapter 28: Mother Knows Best

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #28: Mother Knows Best. That's right guys... the bombshell chapter after the first bombshell chapter. Quite the uh... freak out, I suspect, with you guys. You all lit to the roof with this story, like holy cow haha. I love you guys and your reactions. So it turns out that Red and Lucas are brothers, Ness covered his ass from his mother's backwards mind, and now Lucas has revealed to his great boyfriend that he... he killed his mother? I bet you all did not see that coming from anywhere, and that means my mission is super successful! Enjoy the long chapter with just full of... well, drama.**

* * *

He didn't move. Not an inch. He vaguely registered the fact that he'd stopped breathing. No- just... No. Way. He couldn't have heard him right.

"Luke, what did-"

"I killed my mother." Lucas repeated, his voice completely monotone and numbed out.

His brain was rejecting the idea that his boyfriend had just presented it with. The blonde jock couldn't be a murderer. Not _his_ Lucas. Certainly not. He hoped this could've been some evil prank.

"I don't-" Ness cleared his throat, trying not to let the panic seep into his voice. "I don't understand."

"No. I suppose you wouldn't, would you. There's no going back. Not from here. Which means there's only one thing to do…fill in the missing pieces." the older male stood, slowly walking over to the dresser and kneeling down, running his hand along the empty drawer where Ness had seen the book.

"A few weeks ago, when you came here, you saw the black book?"

The raven haired boy nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"It was a photo album, of my family. That was, of course, before… I once had a father, and a mother, and a brother. For seven years, I grew up as a normal child would. I had been blessed with loving parents, and an equally protective older brother. My mother, she was a lively, persistent woman, and a devout Christian, the type that think they can change the world and set out to make it a better place one person at a time."

Ness couldn't help but note the peculiar fondness he spoke of his mother with. It didn't make sense. He had just admitted to killing her, yet here he was, speaking of her like this. He hadn't detected a hint of regret in his voice when he'd spoken of what he'd done.

"As an English teacher, half her heart was in teaching, and the other half was with my father. And my father… he was a respectable doctor. He provided for us as any good father would, though we barely ever saw him with how busy he was…"

Lucas paused, standing up and turning to face Ness. He kept the distance he'd covered between them, though, almost as if he was expecting that in a few minutes, the younger male probably would want it.

"One day, however, my mother returned home from work early to find my father in bed with someone else… a boy that couldn't have been more than ten years older than I was at the time. He'd been charged with administering psychological care to the boy… needless to say, it devastated my mother."

The raven haired boy could tell by the little details he added here and there that Lucas was telling the truth, that he was genuine, but the look in his eyes told him he'd detached himself completely from the story. It was almost as if he was narrating it, as if it was someone else's story that had no emotional bearing on him, no connection to him whatsoever. He couldn't help but a place a hand to his face. "That- that's horrible."

"My father and her had been together since they were old enough to walk. They'd been a couple for… over 25 years when it happened. Not only had he cheated on her with someone else, but with a male, an underage boy. The next day, my mother woke up and my father was gone. No note. No explanation, though, at that point one really wasn't necessary. We all knew he was running from the truth of what he had done… what he'd been doing. We came to find out that this wasn't the first time he'd engaged in such activities with underage boys he'd been charged with treating."

There was no missing the look of disgust on his boyfriend's face. Nate didn't need to ask to know he more than despised his father for what he'd done to him and his mother.

Ness wanted to faint. " _Not just the one_..." His head ran through with all the possible outcomes and numbers to be tried.

"After that, my mother was never the same again. I think it was too much for her to take, the reality that her husband, the only man she'd ever loved, was not only gay, but also a pedophile. She blamed herself for what had happened to the boys. As a teacher, she'd had made it her goal in life to help and protect children. It was… beyond her comprehension that she had married a pedophile, and that he had been having sex with underage boys while maintaining a seemingly normal life with her…"

"That makes sense..." the waiter mumbled.

"I've always believed we were nothing more than a cover to him, a front to fool people into thinking he was a decent human being. I believe my mother came to the same conclusion at some point as well. She had built her whole life around the lies of a man that had cheated and abandoned her… it was too much for her to take. I suppose it makes sense, being told your whole life is based on a lie, and finding out the person you love only sees you as a tool to mask their true intentions. She had a mental breakdown, and fell into a deep depression after that. My brother, we both had the same mother, but different fathers. Often, he would stay with his father, no doubt to avoid dealing with the mess our life had become."

Ness bit back his tongue, instead keeping the dark thought in his head. " _I wouldn't blame him_..."

Lucas looked out in the distance "I was grateful… I didn't want him to be around her when she was… not well. For months, I watched the woman I had once called mother waste away. Often, it was only her and I, and I would see her at her worst… there were several instances when she mentioned wanting to die, admitted to me that she would have done it herself if not for her beliefs. She was a devout Christian, you see, and suicide is considered a sin under their beliefs. If one such as herself were to commit suicide, she believed that she would be eternally damned to hell…"

"Pity to her." the raven haired boy felt like crying.

The blonde chocked back on something and continued telling the story. For him. "For the longest time, I tried to help her, bring her back from whatever depression she'd fallen in to. I believed that if I gave her enough of a reason to get better, she would. I stilled loved her, as did my brother. And every night, before bed, I would pick up an English book and try to get her to teach me as she always had. Most times, she would dismiss me… but, there were a few fleeting instances when my mother would show a glimpse of her former self and attempt to teach me. The moments only lasted a few minutes at most… but for years, they're what kept hope alive for me."

So that was the importance that these books carried. They'd been the last good memories Lucas had of his mother. "I see why you cared about the books then." Ness commented, digging his fingernails into his arm.

"I was quite ignorant then… I suppose most are at nine. This was two years after my father had left. I was having trouble caring for my brother during the infrequent occurrences when he would stay with my mother and I. She was too far gone to care for either one of us… and my brother was having a hard time understanding why she had become 'sick' as I told him…"

Lucas swallowed hard, his voice barely above a whisper. Ness hugged his boyfriend tight. "You can stop now, sweetheart..."

"I told him that she was sick, from a broken heart. He asked me why his love wasn't enough to heal her… to this day, I still don't have an answer to that question. I always wondered why she seemed to need his love, why she seemed to just give up after he had left, despite the fact that we still loved her…"

The blonde suddenly averted his gaze, focusing it on the beige carpet between him and his boyfriend.

"The day I'd been waiting for finally came on my mother's 35th birthday. I had brought her a card, and some of her favorite flowers. She, however, had something else in mind. For her birthday, she wanted me to kill her."

Lucas's voice cracked at the last words, his jaw tightening to the point that Ness thought he might end up chipping a tooth. "You can stop now, sweetheart." he urged again.

"I had been expecting it. Not necessarily on that day, but eventually. She had already died inside long ago, and the body can only live for so long without the soul. For hours, she argued with me. I refused, and she begged me… pleaded. I knew she was in pain. I always thought I was doing what was best for her… but, I grew to realize choosing to keep her here with me while she was in so much pain was… selfish. I wanted her here with me for my own personal reasons, not because it was what was best for her. I knew it was unfair of me to keep her here where she was suffering…and so eventually, I relented."

Ness looked him in the eyes, glimmered and confused. "You-"

Lucas bit back more tears. "She'd already bought the gun, already loaded it. She'd arranged for everything to look like a suicide. All I had to do was pull the trigger. Even then, I tried to talk her out of it. I told her there were other ways out. She made me promise, though, made me swear that I'd follow through with what I'd agreed to. Finally, after several more hours of her begging and pleading with me, I forced myself to put her out of her misery. I told her I loved her, closed my eyes and pulled the trigger. When I opened them, she was… not in pain anymore. And in that moment, I knew I'd done the right thing. I'd spared her what my father had not."

It was weird, Ness knew he should probably be feeling some sort of relief right about now that he'd just found out his boyfriend wasn't a cold-blooded killer. He couldn't, though, not after hearing what he had. It would have almost been better to know he'd killed someone in cold blood, than to find out he'd been forced to kill his own mother.

"My only regret is that I hadn't noticed my brother standing in the doorway. He'd seen the whole thing. I thought he'd run… I thought he'd call me a monster or hate me for what I'd done… but… no... he understood. He'd seen her, how she'd been for years, simply existing, but not living. We made a pact then not to tell anyone. And then everything seemed to fall into place after that. I called the cops; they deduced that her death had been a suicide, which was quite believable considering it wasn't a secret how deeply she'd fallen into depression after what had happened with my father. My brother went to live with his father, and, though they offered me a place to stay, I politely declined. Two trails are a lot harder to follow then one." Lucas said, his voice hollow.

Ness wanted to burst into tears. "Luke..." he winced.

"It was bad enough that my brother had witnessed the whole thing, but then he had lied to the cops to protect me, making him an accessory to the murder. I took on my mother's surname, Richards, and him his father's, Parker." Lucas said.

"Wait-"

The raven haired boy recognized that name. Parker… it was a common enough name, but, no! Red, Red Parker. They couldn't be…

Lucas made two and two to get four. "Yes. Red and I are brothers. I'm sorry… I couldn't tell you. We decided to take on different names and not identify as brothers for safety reasons. If the cops ever did reopen the case and come to arrest me, it would make things more difficult for them to arrest him as well. It was always my hope that if it ever did come to that, and they did a simple search in the database for my mother's surname, they would find my name and end the investigation at that. Of course, more than likely, it would only be a matter of time till they made the connection, but perhaps just enough to allow him enough time to run…"

Well, didn't everything make a hell of a lot more sense now. Red and Lucas had always seemed to be more than friends, but not exactly lovers. They fought, beating the shit out of each other one day, and were right back to being friends the next. The bully had taken a more than obsessive interest in the blonde's love life, which was typical of an older brother. No doubt their past made him even more protective of Lucas. For once, in the entirety of the time he'd known Red, Ness found himself grateful for the guy's punch-first, ask-questions-later attitude. He liked the idea that Lucas had someone watching out for him, taking care of him like he couldn't.

"He always felt guilty, I think, that I was the one that had ended up pulling the trigger. I think that's why he followed me here. I moved here after emancipating myself from a distant relative I'd been placed under the custody of. Red followed shortly after. At first, I was upset. I thought it would be better if we lived in different cities, make it harder if they ever reopened the case and tried to make the connection… after a while, though, we established ground rules. We were to tell everyone that we were friends, and nothing more."

"I can see why." Ness nodded.

"We needed to blend in and call as little attention to ourselves as possible. We didn't need anyone asking questions and deciding to take a better look at our past. Popularity came naturally to Red, and I followed his example in an effort to blend in. Conformity offers a certain amount of… safety. I already stood out enough with the way I spoke, so I had to make extra efforts to compensate. Hanging out with him offered me my initial in, and from there the rest wasn't difficult," Lucas took a deep breath. "That's why I waited so long."

Ness blinked, realizing Lucas had stopped speaking. There seemed to be some sort of traffic jam in his mind, like he'd been fed too much information and now everything was moving in slow motion. It all just seemed… so unreal.

"What?"

"That's why I waited with you. I've always felt drawn to you, but for the longest time I told myself I needed to maintain a certain level of solitude to protect the secret I carried… I knew being with you would complicate things, but… eventually I fooled myself into believing I could carry on a relationship with you while keeping you at a distance."

Ness began to feel the tears rise. Was- was this a breakup? "Lucas... no."

"I didn't just not want to tell you for my sake. Revealing all this… it forces your hand, in a manner. You have the choice of either going to the cops and telling them what you know, or becoming an accessory to my mother's murder. I'm sorry… I didn't want to do this to you. And I understand if you chose to go to the authorities. I would not blame you for doing so…"

Ness focused his gaze on Lucas. He wouldn't look at him. Still. He was actually… ashamed? The raven haired boy had never in a million years thought that he'd ever see the popular jock ashamed of anything. Lucas, the boy who'd proudly held hands with him while walking through the mall, been the one leading the way and encouraging him on at the school dance, and the one who hadn't given up on him when he pushed him away time and time again, was actually ashamed.

Ness slowly stood up, staying silent as he took a few steps forward till he was in front of Lucas. He paused, waiting for him to look up at him. Except he didn't.

"Luke."

"I understand. I understand if you want me to stay away from you, knowing what you do. I just needed to tell you. It was killing me, keeping a part of myself from you and I know you probably hate me for this but-"

The blonde stopped short, his words cutting off as Ness leaned forward, his arms coming around him in a tight embrace. He didn't care that Lucas wasn't hugging back, at least not at first. He needed to show him that he was still there for him, that he still cared, and words just didn't seem like enough. For a few seconds, they just stood there, before, slowly, the older male wrapped his arms around Ness. It was a loose embrace, like he was still prepared for his boyfriend to bolt for the door.

Loosening his grip a little so that he could lean back and look Lucas in the eyes, he took a deep breath. He didn't want his voice to be shaky when he spoke. He needed to be strong. For himself. For him. Lucas was always the strong one in their relationship. Finally, he'd be able to be there for him.

"Luke… I don't know how you could think that I'd hate you for this… or turn you in. I mean, you did what was best for your mother, even if it meant you had to suffer because of it. And, with Red being your brother, I get it. I mean, I get why he is the way he is-"

"He's scared I'm going to turn out like him. Like my father, because I'm gay. That's why he fought so hard against our relationship."

Ness tried not to go right back to hating Red after hearing that. Being angry right now wouldn't help Lucas.

"That's… horrible. I mean, your father was a horrible guy. It was his fault, all the shit that happened to you guys. And what you had to do. And him leaving your mother… especially after she's just found out what she had… I'm sorry, about what I said about your mother earlier. I had no idea that-"

"It's alright, Nathaniel. You had no way of knowing…

Lucas took a deep breath, as if trying to compose himself. Ness could feel him shaking slightly under his grasp, and honestly, it killed him that he couldn't do anything about it.

"You know, this doesn't change anything, right?" Ness added, trying to reassure him.

Everyone had bad shit in their past that they weren't exactly proud of. Which, in his opinion, Lucas should have been, considering what he had done had actually been selfless, and he'd gone through a lot more than he could have dealt with. Even looking past all that, though, he was still the blonde beauty. He wasn't a murderer, not the way Ness saw it. And his past didn't define who he was.

If anything, it made the raven haired boy trust him more. He'd just told him something that, if Ness told anyone else, could potentially destroy the rest of his life. Not only that, but he'd taken a big risk getting involved with him in the first place. He'd known the risks of getting into a relationship with him, yet he'd actually come to the insane conclusion that Ness was worth it… which was just amazing.

"How could it not, Nathaniel. You-"

"It doesn't change whatever's between us. You're still the same person. I mean… Lucas, did you really think I was just going to walk away and turn you in?"

The blonde looked down at him, taking a shaky breath. "It's not because I didn't have faith in you, is us. I just, I wasn't sure after all the problems you seem to be having in your life because of me, and all the ones that will come to pass because of this-"

"You're so worth it. And you're more fucking dense than I thought if you can't see that."

Lucas stared at him for a second before letting out a small chuckle, the beginning of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Ness had missed that smirk of his, that self-assured look that he'd become so familiar with.

"I should have known you would be too stubborn to act as a normal person would and cut your losses."

"Yeah, you should've." He could feel himself smiling too, more in relief than anything else. Seeing Lucas like that had been… painful, in the worst kind of way.

Reluctantly, Ness let go of Lucas, taking a step back.

So, this was it. They were forever bound to one another by this secret. But, honestly, Ness couldn't bring himself to really care, Lucas had just effectively made him an accessory to his mother's murder. Yeah, it would complicate things in the future. But, hey, sometimes you had to make sacrifices for the people that were most important in your life, like Lucas had done with his mother. And Ness was more than happy to make sacrifices for him. He didn't have a choice anymore anyways, not really. He couldn't picture his life without the blonde. And he didn't intend on ever having to.

* * *

 **That's for all you guys. I know, yes this chapter was super dialogue heavy and so will the next few ones after this but we're reaching that point where the climax is coming. I mean... we have only, twelve chapters after this one left so be preparing for some large curveballs. We haven't seen Shulk in awhile, or Nana and Red's gotta a meaning behind this too so we'll all be in the nut house at the end. Least you all will. *snicker* And by reviews, damn, you exploded with them. Record number of seven once again, so I'm super exhilarated to reply to them all. You guys keep them coming!**

 **WinWin07- Come on, don't cry! Hopefully Lucas's explanation made you feel better.**

 **Ender2412- See, there's not all this roughness behind him, now is there? Red is a normal guy, and at least can try to be by having a reason for defending Lucas from the outsiders. Glad you got warmed up to him some. And yep! Hope this chapter filled that satisfying need for dramatic purpose as we truly haven't had enough drama in this story (*sarcasm*). Haha. And that's why I made it that. You probably did want like ex-lover or something for their relationship, didn't you? I'm surprised you said that actually. Did you count how many times people in Cross Examined died or almost died. Hell, the entire chapter #45: Torture (probably my best chapter of that story and one of my best ever), was all drama. No, don't stop thinking. And happy birthday! Hopefully this existed as a good present. Stay rocking, now at the age where you can drive a car into a tree by yourself, ha.**

 **mother-sins- Yeah, you're telling me. Lucas never truly ditched the guy. They're still brothers, will always love each other mutually in a familial sense, forever and always, you know that. Sadly that's how a lot of the community Ness's character and all of that live in, people can't get out of their closed bubble which is so sad. This is 2015, not 1815 lol. Hush child, you'll find out about the letter soon enough my friend. And keep up the crackpot theories to yourself for now.**

 **Derpyburp- Lucas didn't kill Hinawa, as I haven't stated his mother's name, just like Ness's mother so it isn't their canonical names, sorry. Threw you for a loop there with the brother relationship of Lucas and Red, didn't I? Hope so, full intention behind that. (Did anyone, and I mean anyone even remotely think that? Sometimes I am basic in my surprises). Glad you love the drama, it is something to look forward to, no? Yep, we reached more than 100 reviews! Smashed that number. But... I wanna reach higher. Let's do... 200! I know you guys can get there. You did it for Cross Examined, we've got it for The Raven and the Lion.**

 **hollilolli- Hello, new face! Good to see you join the review pack in the midst of this drama filled month. March should just be renamed as _Drama_. I don't think I had deleted the story after this chapter. It was #30 or #31 where it dropped off the face of the Earth, and I promise you that won't happen again or all this work went for null and void. And yeah, I can see why, but it got super repetitive using "Red" and "brother" over and over again. Besides, it's family, I'd think Lucas could let one slide, especially in exasperation. **

**Ninten64- Lucas killed her, sorry dude! She's dead and gone because he fired that trigger. And thanks man, glad you liked the chapter! Nope, sorry all of those theories are debunked. She never got to live to know her son turned out to be gay. The plot does indeed thicken. Who's our mysterious letter stalker dude? Read on to find out.**

 **YuukixMitsuru- Hey! You reviewed first! Super proud of yourself or what? Your review made me sadistically laugh. Those type of reactions are those I strive for in my dramatic writing, to make you drop everything down dead and freak out because holy crap I made you spit water all over the screen or something. I'm sorry man, between you and your mother. Hopefully everything has worked out, even if for the worse as long as that strain doesn't exist face-to-face. Also, amazing chapter in How I Met Him. (Seriously guys, go read this. The Yaoi is amazing. Villager x Toon Link bonus points with Lucas x Ness as well. Go read it! And review too!)**

 **Yeah, I went there. Shameless plug in. He deserves it. Anyways guys, that's the chapter! Thanks for being such amazing readers and reviewers for sure. Keep the influx coming and I'll be sure to go and continue writing more of this for you all like always. We'll have a chapter out on Wednesday hopefully, before anything else and I am super happy to get past that old stopping point. Happy birthday again, Ender. You rock. Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	29. Chapter 29: Ness's Acidic Tone

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #29: Ness's Acidic Tone. Last time, we delved into what Lucas truly meant by killing his mother and all the drama that resulted from it, besides Ness being an amazing boyfriend at staying wholly sane somehow... anyways, this chapter proves something different elsewhere. Though... it is time to transition into the dangerous part of this story with only twelve chapters left, we are wrapping things up. However, there's a bit of news you must know, the next time I'll be updating this story is on Sunday... which is the 20th. I know that's in four days, but you guys can handle it because I always come through. You'll never know, it could come a day early. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Ness fidgeted in the passenger seat of Lucas's car, glancing over at the front door to his house one more time. They still had so much to talk about, so much to sort through. But staying at his boyfriend's trashed apartment any longer wasn't something either one of them wanted. They'd quickly gathered the tattered remains of his mother's books, shuffled them into a duffle bag, and headed for the door.

After driving around for what seemed like forever, Lucas had safely confirmed that they were not being followed, and proceeded to drive Ness back to his house. Which, of course, led them to the current impass they seemed to be fighting over. And, go figure, the blonde seemed to have regained his composure just enough to put up a fight.

"Lucas, come one, you know you can't go back to your apartment."

"I have money. Renting a hotel room would be the best choice, given the events that have just transpired."

"No... no way are you spending the night alone at some hotel room after what just happened."

A small smirk tugged at the corners of the jock's lips, one that Ness would have given anything for a few hours ago but was now contributing to his rising temper.

"You know, you're quite cute when you're worried, Nathaniel."

"This isn't a joke, Lucas! This is serious! I mean, c'mon! Someone just broke into your apartment, trashed the one thing that they know meant the most to you, and did it while we were only a few floors up!"

"Nathaniel, you do realize what time it is, don't you? Three in the morning. If I am correct in my assumption of what you are suggesting, I'd like to remind you that just earlier today you and your mother got into an altercation about the very thing your plan entails."

"I'll take care of that, alright. I mean… she can't just throw you out, not if I tell her either you stay or I go."

Lucas's eyes narrowed, his features suddenly tensing. "That is absolutely out of the question. Nathaniel, I will not allow you to-"

"It's not your choice, Luke-"

The blonde's voice was completely grave when he spoke, making it obvious that even if his mother did agree, he wouldn't stay.

"Nathaniel, I know how much I valued my relationship with my mother. I refuse to allow you to put yours in jeopardy because of me. This is not debatable."

The raven haired boy crossed his arms, letting out a frustrated huff. "Yeah, well, neither is the possibility of you staying the night by yourself after some creepy-ass stalker guy trashed your apartment. I mean, what if he found out whatever hotel you were staying at and tracked you down and-"

"You don't believe I could handle myself?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't want to find out. I mean, what if this is more than one person? Thought of that yet? Bet you haven't."

"It's not."

Ness's eyes narrowed. Hell, he hadn't even bothered to ask if his boyfriend had had any success in figuring out who the guy was.

"And how the hell do you know?"

"Because, this is personal. And there are only two people that know of what the letter entailed. Neither of them would work together, for obvious reasons."

When Lucas didn't continue, the younger boy raised an eyebrow, prodding him on. The blonde let out a heavy sigh, leaning forward.

"Red wouldn't do this. Nor would he work with my father."

Ness's eyes bulged as his mind tried to wrap itself around the idea of what he'd just suggested. He really didn't like the prospect of Lucas's father coming back into his life. The guy sounded totally unstable. And, on top of that, he'd probably try to kill him for what he'd done to his boyfriend if he ever met him, and murder wasn't exactly on his to-do list.

"So… I mean, what if Red told someone or something?"

"He wouldn't. He's quite committed to me, unfortunately. He should be a grade ahead of me, but he failed on purpose so that he'd be able to keep tabs on me throughout my final year of high school."

Wow. So, maybe the mahogany haired, sunglass wearing idiot wasn't the warm and cuddly type, but Ness would definitely give him points for loyalty.

"And your father…"

Lucas nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

"Yes. He would know about my mother's death, and my role in it. Even after he left, she tried to call him- left desperate messages on his cell phone begging him to take her back. I'm sure she probably called him that day, to tell him what she planned to have me do in a final effort to force him to come back."

God. What a huge, just huge damn mess the whole thing was, honestly. He felt bad for Lucas's mother, he really did. But using her son as a tool to try and win a guy back that was basically a piece of shit in the first place didn't sit well with him.

"But… I mean, why would your father want to come back into your life after all these years? And why would he want to bring your family's history to light? I mean, wouldn't that incriminate him too?"

"That is not necessarily his purpose, if it is indeed him. He may just want to use what he knows as leverage. And, unless I could get one of the boys he molested to testify against him, which would be basically impossible considering I don't know their names, the pedophile accusations would simply be my word against his."

"Then what the hell does he want from you?"

Lucas's features tightened, his eyes flickering back and forth along the blackened terrace.

"That is what I'm still trying to find out. I have no way of being sure it is him, other than by means of simple deduction. I could be entirely incorrect in my assumption, but I have no way of knowing. He seems to rather enjoy this game of cat and mouse…perhaps he derives some sort of pleasure from it. Or there is also the possibility that he blames me for my mother's death."

"But that was so his fault-"

"That may not be the way he sees it, Nathaniel. You see, I believe he loved my mother, but not in the usual sense. He loved the power and influence he had over her, the way he could build her up and then break her down with just one simple action. I suppose those were the same things he liked about all the boys he raped too. You see, I took that away from him, though, the day I killed my mother. He no longer had the power to make her suffer, to see her in pain because of what he'd done. And so, finally, I believe he's come to seek his revenge."

Reaching into his pocket, Lucas pulled out the letter they'd found in his red corvette a few days earlier.

"You see… _Shaming your mother from her grave_ , that would refer to her homophobia, and my relationship with you… _Sacrificing your Queen for a pawn_ , no doubt a reference to the fact that I chose you over Red, although he is the one that holds more power over me because he knows about my past… _I'm sure you know how troublesome family ties can be_ , either a reference to my father's vengeful intent, or Red and the possibility of angering him and having him react by revealing my secret… _and no visitors under any circumstances, jealousy and I do not play well together_ , he wants me to be isolated, alone. I highly doubt he approves of my relationship with you. Taking pictures of us the other night after the dance was his way of letting me know he's watching me, and he sees what I'm doing with you."

Ness shook his head, utterly confused yet again. "But, I don't get it. Why does he have a problem with us being together? I mean, he can't be homophobic. He had sex with boys."

"It's quite simple, actually. Probably the most elementary aspect of all this. You make me happy, and he doesn't want that."

The raven haired boy immediately felt a warmth spread through his chest in reaction to Lucas's words. He knew right now was so not the time to smile, but he couldn't help it. Turning to the right, he glanced back at his house one more time to hide the silly grin that had spread across his face. Yeah, it was stupid after everything that had just happened to get like this over a few simple words, but actually hearing the blonde say that he made him happy was just… exactly what he needed right now, actually.

"Nathaniel, you know the longer you wait, the worse the repercussions are going to be when you face your mother."

Of course. That's why he thought he'd taken a sudden interest in the nice little outter décor of his house.

"Yeah, well, it's your fault. If you'd just agreed to come in and let me explain the situation to my mother in the first place, then we'd probably already be sleeping."

"Nathaniel, you and I both very well know that your mother will not just accept this, let alone allow me to stay at your house knowing that I am dating you."

Gah. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

"Alright. Fine! You come up with something then!"

"I'm glad you finally asked," Lucas said, an amused look spreading across his face. "I'm sure my brother Red would be more than willing to allow me to stay with him for a few days."

Ness's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, but I thought you wanted to avoid drawing attention to the both of you so people wouldn't start to get suspicious and shit. I mean, don't you think people are going to ask questions about two older teenage boys living together?"

"Well, I don't see any other plausible possibility that appeases both you and I."

"How about a compromise? You stay with Red for the next few days while I work on telling my mother that I'm gay. Then you come stay with me-"

"Nathaniel, I already told you-"

"I'm going to have to tell my mother about me being gay at some point anyways, Lucas. Adding you into the mix isn't going to change that."

His boyfriend paused, a pensive look spreading across his face as he leaned back in his seat. Finally, he let out a sigh of resignation, turning back to the raven haired boy.

"Very well. But if your mother doesn't want me staying there, you are in no way allowed to give her an ultimatum-"

"Yeah, I know. If she does agree, though, you have to stay here."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, a suggestive smile spreading across his face.

"Agreed. I have to say, though, if you do get your way in all this, it will make the next few weeks _quite_ interesting."

Ness flushed, picking up on the suggestions laced in the blonde's words.

"Yeah-well-whatever. Just call me when you get to Red's, alright?"

Turning his head so Lucas wouldn't see him blush, Ness couldn't help but hope that the jock was right about the next few weeks being interesting. He could use a little mushy drama-free boyfriend time with him after all the shit that had just gone down.

Getting out of the car, Ness quietly made his way through the front door, creeping up to his room and checking to make sure his mother was sound asleep in her bedroom.

She probably figured he'd made up with Nana and gone over to her house to stay the night. They used to do that a lot, well, the staying the night part at least. He'd have to call her tomorrow and apologize. He still didn't agree with her, especially not after what he had just found out about Lucas and his past, but he hadn't exactly handled the situation well either.

And, well, now that he knew what he did about Red, he didn't know how the hell to feel about him. He'd tried to rape Nana, which totally put the guy on his shit list… but he'd done it because he was trying to stop Lucas from turning out like his dad, which seemed to balance the whole equation out. And he'd bullied him for the past few months, but only because he cared about his brother…

He supposed he needed to call a truce with him at some point, too. The guy had Lucas's best interests at heart, thought the way he'd gone about it had been totally wrong, which meant they both had at least one thing in common.

Deciding he'd try to end the day with some happy thoughts, Ness allowed his mind to explore the possibilities behind the meaning in the blonde's last words. Yup. They might just be able to have a happy ending after all. All he needed to do was come clean to his mom… and ask her to let his boyfriend live with them. Yeah, fat chance in hell of that happening. But, hey, what Lucas didn't know wouldn't hurt him, and if he gave his mother an ultimatum she'd have to say yes, right?

* * *

Ness woke up the next morning to the not-so-pleasant ringing of his mother's sharp voice in his ears.

"Nathaniel, where were you last night! Do you know how worried I was about you! I called Nana's parents and they told me you weren't there! I almost called the cops! For heaven sakes, you had me worried sick about you!"

He sat up, casting a groggy look in his mother's direction. He was so getting tired of this whole thing going on between them, with her pretending like they were just one nice happy family and him playing along.

"Mother I-"

"Where were you? You didn't think to pick up the phone and call me! Nathaniel, what in god's name were you thinking?"

"I was-"

"You had me up till midnight pacing back and forth in the living room. I had no idea what to do or who to call."

"I'm-"

"And you should have came and told me when you got home! I was just about to file a missing persons report. I thought you might have gotten taken by some pedophile or serial killer! And-"

"Shut up!"

Oh crap. Did he really just say that?

Ness's mother's face went lax as utter shock widened her eyes to the size of saucers.

"You never listen to me, mother! Not now, and not ever! You're always so busy trying to put up this little front like were just one perfect, happy family, but we're not! There's all this tension between us, filled with all the things we're not saying to each other. Well I'm tired of it! I'm gay! Alright! I like boys, not girls! There's a reason Nana and I never dated! And you've known it all along! God knows you've spent so much energy trying to convince yourself of the lie you want to believe. And Lucas, you know, my _tutor_ , he's actually my boyfriend! Yeah, I went to homecoming with him! He's the only date I'll probably ever have to a school dance, and I couldn't even tell you because you're so fucking close-minded. Well, this is it. This is reality. I'm your son, and I'm gay."

Holy shit. A whole lot of word vomit had just come out that he couldn't take back. Ever. Ness let out a heavy sigh, actually feeling... relieved? He'd finally said it. He'd finally come clean to his mother. After seventeen years of pretending, he was finally showing himself for who he truly was.

Ness's mother stood there for a second, a look of utter shock on her face before her features grew taunt, her eyes icy.

"You know I do not tolerate such things in this house, Nathaniel. We will start counseling immediately to correct this behavior, as well as explore alternative solutions to this… predicament."

The raven haired boy let out a cold laugh, shaking his head. "This isn't a predicament, mother. This is who I am. And I don't want to go to counseling. For once, I'm happy with myself."

"Yes, well, that's only because you don't know better. Homosexuality is a sickness, Nathaniel-"

"Do you realize how ignorant you sound right now? This isn't something that I caught from being around other people that are gay. I've always been like this, mother. And to an extent, you've always known it."

His mother shifted from side to side, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Nathaniel, we will deal with this later when you're more calm and-"

"No. Mother. We'll deal with this now. My boyfriend needs a place to stay, and either you let him stay here with me, or I'm leaving. For good."

It's funny, Ness had only intended it as a bluff, but hearing the words come out of his mouth, he realized he was completely serious.

Her eyes flared, clearly enraged at what her son was trying to force her into.

"Absolutely not, Nathaniel. I will not enable you to indulge in this sickness-"

"Fine."

Ness walked over to his closet and pulled out a suitcase, plopping it on top of his bed and beginning to pack. He could tell by the way his mother's breathing had suddenly stopped that she had been bluffing. Well, newsflash, he hadn't. He was dead serious.

"Nathaniel, now think about this. You and I can work this out. We can work through this sickness-"

The raven haired boy tuned his mother out, refusing to listen to any more of her close-minded preaching. Packing up the last of his things, he made sure to grab his phone and the belt buckle off of his dresser as he headed out the door. He could hear his mother pleading with him to reconsider, but never once did she agree to his terms.

Lucas was so not going to be happy with him. He'd promised not to do this, lied to his face, but there was no way he was going to let the blonde stay in some apartment or hotel room alone anyways, which was what it would eventually come down to after he stayed with Red for a few days.

Pulling out his phone, Ness shot Lucas a quick text.

 _Hey, soooo, I had that talk with my mom and it didn't go so well. Pick me up in ten?_

Oh, crap. He hadn't even thought to look at the time. It was 5:34 A.M. on a Monday morning. He would've explained the whole reason he was texting him so early, but he didn't want to reveal the rest to him over the phone. No, he'd prefer to do the pleading and apologizing that would be in order to make up for breaking the promise he'd made in person.

* * *

 **There we are guys, Chapter 29! You'll be getting Chapter 30 on Sunday, which is meant to mull over some things I've missed with story updates between now and then, as I've missed a few and need to get priorities straight, and this story hasn't turned into a priority in awhile. Ness has come clean to his mother. Of course, she doesn't believe it. Ignorance in this world is so sad, you know. Really is.**

 **Ninten64- Yeah, he's got quite the backwards family. What can you say? It's always the gay ones that get the parents who are damn idiots and other things in the like.**

 **Sugarcube- This chapter though, huh? Lucas came forward with everything, and caused Ness to hang onto every little word. Every little word, which is exciting, no? And now he's laid everything down on the line for this one moment with his mother, and he's given her the ultimatum. Glad you understand Red, glad you do! And yeah, Ness has the loyal thing going to Lucas, doesn't he? Haha, keep fangirling.**

 **Derpyburp- Let the emotions flow into words! Thou art shall emote! That mysterious stalker will come in the story sooner than later, and you'll do a ... "DUH moment."**

 **Mr. Squirtle6- Chapter 21? You mean last chapter, #28? I'm kinda confused myself lol, but thank you so much, that really means a lot in terms of writing, as I don't find my writing in this story in particular to be all too flashy and great, it's just pasty. I'm glad you're experiencing some human emotions such as surprise, my full intention in this story. Lucas's backstory is quite dramatic, but it'll only get worse from here.**

 **Ender2412- Lol, don't go dying on me, dude. Glad it was the best present you got online. (Probably the only one, right?) Haha, I can't recall if your any of those crazy theories had proven correct or not. Good for you with making some of those conclusions, a few of you all are having trouble seeing it. We'll have more of them later on. Man, I don't think I would've gotten you to like Red. Of course he'll have to come clean with a few things to Lucas soon, but you'll start like him even more later on! Shulk and Nana will be back, you'll see. But, what purpose would Shulk have with digging into Lucas's past? He knows absolutely nothing about him, except he's blonde and is dating the crush he has always had. Angry, sure. But knowing his past? Not likely.**

 **Retronym- I'm converting everyone today! We all hate Shulk, sure, but _I_ love writing him, so ha! And besides, he's just jealous. Jealousy leads to a lot of things we regret. He's got morals in him somewhere. Don't worry, he isn't the bad guy he'll truly be, keep reading to see. And I'll keep that fact inside my brain. Thanks Retro.**

 **hollilolli- Please don't try and go correcting me. I know this story, as it is my own. I had posted this chapter, and the one to follow before deleting it. Reason why you may have never found that information out is because you forgot, or you had never got to read it before deleting the story. I know my writing schedule, and that'll never change. And nope, I'll say right now, you're wrong. It's not Shulk... someone worse than him.**

 **mother-sins- OMG, what? Lol. Thanks so much! And hey, if you have an idea, don't hide it. It is my duty to let you know if you're correct or not by writing the corresponding chapter, that's all. The letter holds so much, that the characters we know of just don't fit, except for Red, but Lucas is just so damn adamant... it can't be his brother... can it? I'm glad you're warming up to Red. Sorry about the tears. I've written sadder, but I guess when it comes to parents it is a whole different level. Yep, climax is coming soon. Doom is upon us, my children.**

 **YuukixMitsuru- First reviewer again, man! Told you you'd get there eventually. I love you too man, in a totally non relationship way as I'm taken and you infringe on that... ooh boy. Welcome for the insert, you totally deserve it. Good writer. And it is not that I don't like you, no, not at all. I just know how to write a good dramatic story with romance filled throughout, despite being terrible at the real thing. My specialty, I suppose.**

 **That's all for this go around! See you on Sunday, you guys. Hope you can survive without four days of this story, but I've got an idea! Read the chapters over again. There's so much content between #1 to #28, many days can be taken to read this whole story. Please review, because holy shit, you guys exploded in reviews once again and I'm in love with all of you now. Have a great day. Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	30. Chapter 30: Turning Over to the Enemy

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter in The Raven and the Lion, #30: Turning Over to the Enemy... of course if it doesn't fit because the stupid fanfiction title character rule, we'll use Friends With No Benefits, translate it whomever you like. True to my word, here we are on the 20th, a Sunday chapter like I said. Won't let you down folks. Reason for the long update is that I'm on Spring Break, plus have these huge AP Bio projects and labs to deal with which is absolutely unfair, so... yeah. Last chapter, Ness gave it to his mother. Told her hard and clean and of course she didn't believe him and wants to 'fix' things. Thank the lord for Lucas, am I right? Enjoy!**

* * *

Ness shifted his weight nervously from side to side as his boyfriend's car pulled up beside him. He had to know what was going on. The nice little suitcase at his side was a total giveaway. Taking a deep breath, the raven haired boy slid into the passenger seat, sneaking a glance at the blonde in his peripheral vision.

His hair looked wet, matted to his face in brown strands. Crap. He must've just gotten out of the shower. And he smelled fresh, like spring rain, probably from the soap he used. His clothes were clinging to him, dampened from the contact with his skin.

"Lucas, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your shower-"

"Please tell me there's another explanation for why you're out here, alone, carrying a suitcase at 5:40 in the morning." The jock's tone was completely controlled, his features giving away nothing. Ness could tell, though, he was tense as hell. His fingers were white knuckling the steering wheel, and each breath he took was calculated, precisely timed in an effort to maintain the control.

He held his breath, wishing he had some other answer for Lucas.

"I… I tried to talk to my mom about the whole me being gay thing… and, well, I guess things might have gotten out of hand… I mean, I just… I ended up saying some shit you probably wouldn't have wanted me to say."

"Did you give her an ultimatum, Nathaniel?"

The younger boy bit down on his lip, bracing himself. "…Yes."

Lucas's closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the headrest and running a hand through his thick mane of brown locks. Swallowing hard, Ness immediately regretted what he'd done, not for the sake of him and his mother's relationship as the blonde probably was, but for well... the _blonde's_ sake. He didn't want to put any more stress on his boyfriend than he was already probably under.

"Lucas, I'm sorry. Listen, if this is about where I'm going to stay or whatever, don't worry about it. I'm not your responsibility."

His eyes flew open, his head slowly turning toward Ness.

"The fact that you would even assume such a thing is inconceivable. You should know by now that I do not view you as any sort of obligation. Nor is this about where you will be living. Those are all minor details compared to the magnitude of the choice you have just made, Nathaniel. I will not allow you to sacrifice you relationship with your mother for my sake. "

"Dude, come on! This is my choice!"

"Yes, well, it may be your choice, but I will not allow you to make a decision that will affect you negatively in the future. You do not always know what's best for you, Nathaniel. And trust me when I tell you that nothing good can come from severing ties with your mother."

"What are you talking about!" Ness vaguely registered the fact that he was yelling, but couldn't really stop the rest from coming out now that he'd started. "What about us! I mean, what about where you're going to live!"

"My well being is insignificant compared to your relationship with you mother."

He blinked, almost choking on Lucas's words.

"Do you even hear yourself, Luke! How can you even think that!"

"Your mother is a vital part of you, Nathaniel, whether you consciously register it or not. It is bad enough that I have come between you and your best friend-"

"That wasn't even your fault! Nana's just been a bitch lately-"

"That's irrelevant, Nathaniel. In the end, I am the reason you and Nana are experiencing problems, as am I the reason you have now cut ties with your mother."

"Then take a _fucking_ hint, then! If I'm supposedly doing all this for you, don't you think it's because you're the one that I need the most in my life right now!" Oops. More word vomit. Just... shitting great.

Lucas brought his eyes up to Ness, studying his face for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Nathaniel, I will always be a part of your life, regardless of whatever else is going on."

The raven haired boy shook his head, letting out a frustrated huff. "Yeah, but, I mean, you're not going to be able to be here with me or whatever if something happens to you. I mean, this stalking crap is crazy shit and I'm not just going to let you go through it yourself."

Gah. Ness could feel his eyes welling up as his vision began to blur, a few stray tears running down his face. God damn it, could he be any more pathetic? Here he was, wining like a little baby when Lucas had just had some crazy ass stalker trash his house and-

He froze as he felt the older male's hand brush up against his cheek, his touch so gentle he barely even felt it. Wiping away his tears, Lucas leaned over, kissing Ness on the forehead. Pulling away slightly, his peppermint breath came down on him in soft waves, having an oddly calming effect on him.

"I never, ever want you crying because of me Nathaniel," Lucas whispered, his hand coming up and caressing his cheek. "Understand? Never."

Ness nodded, wishing that stupid seat divider weren't between them so that he could just jump across the car and hug the hell out of him. It seemed like he always knew how to make him feel better. And never once did he get annoyed or fed up with all his wining and emotional shit.

Slowly pulling away, Lucas kept his eyes on his boyfriend for a few more seconds before starting the car and pulling away from the curb.

"We will deal with the situation with your mother later, once you both have had time to cool down. As it stands now, however, it appears we may have coffee date in order with my brother."

The raven haired boy grimaced inwardly, remembering his last little encounter with Red. Well, at least Lucas was going to be with him this time. Lucas's older brother definitely wouldn't try anything with him around.

"So, I guess this means were both going to be living at his place for a little while."

Lucas nodded, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Indeed. It will be quite entertaining to see his reaction when I inform him of such. He tends to overreact about these things, you know."

Ness let out a tight laugh, remembering the lengths the guy had gone to to keep them apart.

"Yeah… I mean, do you really think he's going to let me stay with you guys though? It's not like he's exactly been our biggest fan."

"You're not the only one capable of giving ultimatums, Nathaniel, though I doubt it will come to that. He owes me, so there really shouldn't be much to discuss."

Ness bit down on his lip, hoping Lucas was right. He did not like the idea of living with Red for… well, however long it took for things to cool down and the blonde boyfriend of his to find another place, but at least this way him and Lucas would be together. Besides, having Red around would make things safer for _him_. And that was the whole point of what had started all this in the first place, after all.

* * *

Fidgiting in his seat, Ness stole a quick glance at Red from across the coffe table. God, could this be any more awkward? Neither one of them had said a thing for the ten minutes that they had sat across the table from one another. And how freakin' long did it take to order three coffees?

Glancing over at the counter, Ness cursed under his breath. Lucas hadn't even ordered the coffee's yet. He was still standing in line, which meant at least five more minutes of 'quality time' with Red

"So," he said, finally clearing his throat and breaking the silence. "The weather's nice."

The bully met his gaze with a hard stare, crossing his arms in front of him and staying silent.

Ness let out a breathy sigh, realizing that if he hoped to get anywhere with the guy, he was going to have to be the one to do most of the talking.

"Okay, listen. I'm sure you have an idea of why we're here. And I know you really haven't been all that thrilled with the fact that I'm dating Lucas. But, Red, you have to realize, we do both have at least one thing in common."

The mahogany haired kid raised an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side. "Really now. And what in the realm of who gives a shit is that?"

"We both want to keep _him_ safe."

Red's mouth twitched slightly, the rest of his features maintaining their statuesque appearance. Yup. Ness knew that Lucas was definitely the guy's weak spot, which seemed to be working both for and against him at the moment.

Finally, Red leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. "Lucas told me about all the shit that's been going on. I don't know who this bastard is, but… I guess he probably needs someone to watch his back when I can't be there. And don't think this means I like you or some stupid shit, because it doesn't. I still think you're a little gay twerp. But this isn't about me, lucky for you. This is about my brother. So I'm going to tolerate you for his sake, got it?"

Ness blinked, trying to hide his surprise as he stuttered out a quick. "Yeah."

"Good," Red said, sounding a little less hostile. "And… tell your blonde friend or whatever the hell her hair color is that I'm sorry, for what it's worth. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I thought it would keep Lucas safe, but I'm sorry it had to be that way."

He nodded, glancing out the window. He really didn't want to go into why he wouldn't be able to pass along the message at the moment, seeing as he and Nana still weren't talking. They already had enough to sort through in the next hour before school started.

"And don't be thinking you'll be doing any kinky shit with my brother while you're living under my roof. Yeah, that's right. I know what this little meeting is all about. Lucas warned me things might turn out like this after he got your little text this morning. There's only one bedroom, so sleeping arrangements are going to be a little tight. But I swear, if I walk in and you two are-"

"Red, do you really think that's proper breakfast conversation, or any of your business for that matter." Lucas mused, interrupting his rant. Ness let out a sigh of relief, grateful for the interruption. By this time, he'd turned tomato red and had been strongly considering excusing himself to the restroom till he was sure the blonde was back.

Red glared up at his brother as his brother took a seat next to Ness.

"Um... yeah, rightfully so, asshole. It's my business as long as you and your boyfriend are going to be living in my apartment. We're going to have to share bathrooms and bedrooms and all that shit and I don't want to have to worry about if you two screwed each other on the same bed I'm going to have to sleep in."

Ness almost choked on his coffee, focusing his gaze on the table to avoid making eye contact with either brother. He and Lucas hadn't even talked about all this shit when it had just been the two of them. Adding his brother to the mix sure as hell wasn't helping things.

"Well, it's nice to know you hold my sex life in such high regard, brother, but I assure you that you have no need for concern. When the time comes that we decide to consummate our relationship, it will not be anywhere where we might run the risk of you interrupting us, let alone in your bed."

God, the raven haired boy couldn't believe they were really having this conversation. I mean, the insinuation that they might fool around while they were living in the same house as Lucas's brother would have been bad enough. Just coming out and saying it like this though left him blushing like a virgin.

"Good," Red shot, leaning back in his seat. "I'm glad we got that over with."

Lucas chuckled, his gaze flickering back and forth between his brother and his boyfriend. "So, I take it you two have called a truce if you've already come to terms with all three of us living together."

His brother shrugged, a look of indifference spreading across his face. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, whatever. It doesn't really matter."

Lucas raised an eyebrow at his brother, giving him an 'I don't believe you' look but not pushing it.

"Very well. School starts in twenty minutes, which means we will have to continue this conversation later tonight."

Red grunted, muttering what he presumed was a goodbye to Lucas before leaving.

"Well, that went much smoother than I anticipated." the blonde mused, taking another sip of his coffee.

Ness nodded, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that in less than twenty four hours, he'd be living under the same roof as both Lucas and Red. Honestly, he was thrilled at the prospect of living under the same roof as the blonde jock, but the fact that Mr. Rapist in Training was going to be there too put a serious damper on things.

"Yeah." the raven haired boy added, more as an afterthought than anything else.

Lucas had set down his coffee, his tone grave as he spoke. "Nathaniel… in regards to your mother… I will want you to go back and apologize to her eventually. However, I have been contemplating the fact that this situation is rather ideal given the circumstances. If my father is behind all this, you are undoubtedly in danger as well because of your relationship with me. With you living with Red and me, I will be able to watch over you at all times. Once this situation ends, I want you to make amends with your mother and apologize. Under no circumstances is this an indication that it is acceptable to leave the situation as it is, Nathaniel. It is simply more advantageous for us to prolong the current circumstances until things cool down."

Ness resisted the impulse to tell Lucas right now he was doing enough mothering to make up for him not having a relationship with his mother. Doing so would only aggravate him more, and Nate had no wish whatsoever to see him as angry as he'd been this morning.

"Yeah. Alright. Once things cool down, I'll try and apologize."

The blonde's response was immediate, his whole body relaxing as he let out a small sigh of relief. God, it killed Ness that Lucas seemed to be taking this whole thing so hard. He knew it was because of his past and all, but it was ridiculous for him to take full responsibility for the future of his relationship with his mother.

And speaking of apologizing, he still needed to talk to Nana. It didn't sit well with him how things had ended, or what had almost happened to her because of him. Honestly, he really wasn't sure how to feel about the whole Red raping her thing. Everything was just so… complicated now. Red was Lucas's brother. And, though he would probably deny it with his last breath, they were important to one another. Red trying to rape Nana had been totally wrong, but given the total messed up past he and Lucas had gone through growing up, it made sense that the guy would do whatever he felt like he had to to hold on to what little family he had left.

Apologizing to her was going to be hard enough, let alone without having to tell her he was going to be living with the guy that had almost raped her. The worst part of it all, though, would probably be that he wouldn't be able to tell her why. He couldn't tell Lucas's secret and reveal that the blonde and the bully were brothers, which made things a hell of a lot more complex.

Yup. Things were definitely going to be crazy these next few weeks. Especially if Red's apartment was as small as it sounded. He'd been dating Lucas for, what, maybe a month? They'd been doing the whole 'I like you but I'm in denial thing' for a little longer, no more than a few months. And he'd known him, or at least 'of' him, since he'd started high school. He felt like he'd known him a lifetime, though. They'd already gone through so much shit that time really seemed insignificant compared to everything else.

A few months ago, he would have never believed he'd be moving in with Lucas. Now, though, it just seemed like the natural progression of things. He felt safest when he was around him, and, after all the shit that had gone down between him and his mom and Nana, Lucas was probably the only one he felt comfortable being himself around.

It's funny. He'd never believed in the whole 'one person can change your life' thing, but honestly, Lucas had done just that. A few months ago, he'd been living with his mother, still in denial about his sexuality, and hadn't even had his first kiss. Now here he was, finally having had the courage to be open and honest with his mother and in the process of moving in with his boyfriend. Yeah, it would've been nice to have Nana as his best friend through all this, but if he had the choice, he still would've done everything the same.

* * *

 **There we are ye fellows! Chapter #30! So, yeah... we've got development. Ness, now living with his boyfriend, and the brother of said gentleman who has screwed his life over more than once. Can we get anymore complicated in this story? Actually, let's not think about that... okay? Nana and Shulk will be around. Perhaps the latter will come in as a hero... for misguiding and misleading you all is what I seem to do best apparently at the moment... lol. Next chapter will be on Wednesday, yes the 23rd, yes a three day wait... but I gotta with how busy I am and _how_ behind I am on other stories. Review replies!**

 **mother-sins- Holy shit is right. I guess I'm good at ripping out heart strings? (Don't quote me on that). Let's get a new thing trending on twitter guys, you with me? #ProtectiveLucas! He'll never give up for his lovely boyfriend! And neither will I! *cough* Um, anyways... now you know where Ness is living it! Tada! And don't worry, she'll be there. And so will a certain construction worker blonde.**

 **WinWin01- Thank you very much! You're a great reviewer too! And yeah... a little.**

 **HipsterPrushy- Hello new face! Glad to see you join the reviewing community of The Raven and the Lion! These are all amazing people that'll you be privileged to have met! Thanks for the compliment, I'm glad my work is proving to be a time spender. Ouch! Sorry about the lip, but for story matters, all surprises are good. Lucas and Red in familial sense is rare... but it works! How did you find this story, per chance?**

 **Ninten64- You're not far off, but of course, you know me. I'm gonna drop a bomb on you all like no other, just need to be ready to accept it and not see it coming, as a few of you have predicted some amazing things in this story, like you read my mind. Glad to see you hanging on for the wild ride!**

 **Sugarcube- And I love seeing all your kind reviews! Thank you so much!**

 **AuPalladium- Oh my god, darling! *hugs tight* So glad to hear from you again! We need to totally talk more! Hope you're doing okay, sweetheart. I love you from the world and back too, and perhaps I love more than just _you_ , if you know what I mean. ;) (Dirty reference is super dirty).**

 **6- That's why I love that little thing called the Butterfly Effect. Lucas's little action in Chapter 1 has led to this. And the moving in to Red's place will affect something else later down the line, too. And hey, no problem, mistakes happen. We be human! Now you know where they're staying, and it probably isn't the greatest place but it is all they've got, no? Glad to see you're settling yourself down. Things gonna get hectic up and here, soon enough.**

 **Ender2412- I've missed talking to you, little energetic Lucas x Ness lover. How you be? And yeah... you've got that right. Things went from zero to a hundred pretty quickly, but this is Ness Mortmain we're talking about here, no one else you know. I am not a fan of homophobia. I'm having the same issue with my parents right now, except they're not homophobic but just don't believe me... but same gist. Well, did I say it was Lucas's dad? Nope! I just _hinted_ at it. We have no idea who it is yet, and don't worry, it'll be someone you'll have never guessed nor expected because it means I would have done my job so damn well. Lucas seems like such a nice guy, right? He wouldn't possibly do something harmful... no? Here you are though, you made it. Make it to Wednesday too!**

 **YuukixMitsuru- Hey dude! You're being first a lot quicker than usual. What the hell is with that? Glad to have gotten to know you better over the past couple days, and you're welcome for that suggestion. ;) You describing it to me was so vicarious... like holy hell. And, yeah, don't be so quick to assume man. I'm not like that. Sorry about the counseling. Same here, actually.**

 **Alright, that was Chapter 30. I'll see you all Wednesday for Chapter 31. Keep the reviews coming guys! Good lord, the numbers have like tripled in the past three chapters _alone_ then from the rest of the story which is amazing. And don't worry, give me a good month and we'll be back to the postings every other day for the final chapters... or maybe not. We're there soon, like ten more to go, I think. Love you all! Have an amazing day! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	31. Chapter 31: Affairs

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #31: Affairs. *sigh* Let's address the elephant in the room. I know I haven't updated this story in like two weeks, nor have I posted anything since then... and I'm sorry. Just didn't feel motivated to sit down and type another chapter up or edit through or nothing. I've got a lot of stuff in my head that's colliding with each other and it is just a low point in my life right now, and not even fiction could help me slog through it. I'm sorry about that, and I'm thinking of taking a leave of absence soon after I get a few things posted that I needed to post, and then let school do the most of it. I just am working so hard and working so much that it's weighing me down. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Enjoy.**

* * *

"So, this is Red's apartment?" Ness asked, glancing up at the seemingly ordinary apartment complex.

"Well, not exactly." Lucas mused, reaching into the back of his corvette and pulling out his boyfriend's suitcase. "His apartment is number 116, down the walkway to the left."

God. The raven haired boy still couldn't believe they were actually doing this. He was moving in with the blonde… and his brother. The day had seemed like it lasted forever, probably because he was so strung out about what had happened earlier with his mother and the fact that he was going to be living with his boyfriend. It hadn't actually hit home, though, not until now. Seeing the place really just made everything seem so… real.

Lucas came to a stop next to Ness, obviously picking up on his anxious vibe. "Nathaniel, you still have the option of returning to your mother's and apologizing if you've had a change of heart. I'm sure she would allow you to live with her-"

"No. That's not it. I mean, I still want to do this. I just… everything's just changed so fast. In a good way, though."

Pausing for a second, he could feel the blonde's eyes on him, studying him for a moment before moving forward. "Very well then. I suppose we shouldn't keep my brother waiting. Patience has never been a virtue of his."

Ness laughed, following him. "Yeah. That's a nice way of putting it."

Coming to a stop in front of apartment 116, Lucas didn't bother to knock as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a key and sliding it into the doorknob.

"Soon, I'll need to have one of these made for you, Nathaniel. Simply in case of emergencies, of course, though I would hope that you would never find yourself in a situation where you would need to use it."

Ness nodded, feeling a small smile creep onto his face. He was actually going to have his own key… to the apartment that he was sharing with his boyfriend… and his brother. The thought would have been a hell of a lot more romantic if Red could just be factored out of the equation, but seeing as the apartment was his, after all, he figured he should just keep that little idea to himself.

Bracing himself for a messy bachelor's pad that would give any frat boy a run for his money, Ness found himself pleasantly surprised as he stepped into Red's apartment. The place was smaller than Lucas's, though not by much. It was fairly plain, though it didn't have the cold feel that his brother's apartment had. It was more so simplistic, though fairly tidy. The living room seemed to also double as the dinning room, with a table and chairs placed conveniently in front of the t.v., and a nearby couch. A sliding glass door at the far left of the room gave them a view of the nearby park, though not by much. The kitchen had the basics, a stove and a microwave, though there was probably only enough space for one person to be in there at a time. And, from what he could see, the bedroom was small, with barely enough room for the Queen sized bed and dresser Red had managed to squeeze in there.

Wrinkling his nose, Ness cringed at the idea of sleeping in the same bed that the bully had once been in, let alone at the same time. He sure as hell hoped he wouldn't end up having to sleep in the same bed as him, though he knew there was no way in hell Red was going to be alright with him and Lucas even sleeping in the same room.

"Where the- Lucas, where have you guys been?" Red barked, emerging from a door parallel to the bedroom that Ness could only guess was the bathroom. "I've been starving my damn ass off waiting for you two."

"Ah, brother," the blonde mused, closing the door behind them and setting Ness's suitcase down. "What happened? Did you run out of t.v. dinners? Or is the microwave proving to be too much for you to handle again?"

Ness stifled a laugh as Red shot his brother a death glare. "It's not my fault I'm not some pansy that likes to do girly shit like cooking and cleaning."

"Well, then I suggest you improve your attitude if you're planning on relying on a female to do those things for you. In my experience, most girls don't find rape to be romantic." Lucas's eyes were focused on his brother, obviously letting him know that he hadn't forgotten about the little stunt he'd pulled with Nana. Ness got the feeling, though, that they'd already had a talk about the whole thing.

The brother tensed up immediately, averting his gaze and clearing his throat. "Yeah…umm…"

Lucas moved into the kitchen, motioning for Ness to take a seat as he began to gather ingredients. Red had turned in the raven haired boy's direction, looking awkward as hell.

"Listen... I'm- uh, I'm sorry about trying to rape your friend or whatever."

"And?" Lucas prodded, obviously having discussed the matters he felt Red should apologize for beforehand.

"And I'm sorry for breaking your finger. And almost beating the shit out of you. Twice."

Ness bit down on his lip to keep from laughing, averting his gaze to Lucas who was pegging his brother with a hard stare. He wasn't trying to be rude or anything, it was just that the words seemed so forced coming out of the dark haired boy's mouth. Which they were, obviously. But at least he was saying them.

"Umm... thanks." Ness managed to say while keeping a straight face.

"You're welcome." Red snapped, obviously over with his 'let's play nice' routine as he took a seat across the table.

Sitting there for a few seconds in silence, Ness fidgeted slightly, feeling totally uncomfortable sitting this close to the guy who, well... got break him in half. "So, umm..how was your day-"

"I don't do the whole small talk thing," Red growled, glaring at Ness. "At least not with people I don't like."

The younger boy took note of the fact that he had lowered his voice to the point where Lucas wouldn't be able to hear whatever he was saying above the sizzling of whatever he'd begun cooking in the kitchen.

"Ah. Right." Ness muttered to himself, letting out a small sigh.

"And get one thing straight. I don't know how the whole butt sex thing works or whatever with you fags, but you two aren't sleeping in the same place. If I had it my way, you'd been sleeping out on the porch. Lucas, of course, wouldn't like that nice little idea. So you're going to have to sleep in the bed with me."

Ness reddened, resisting the urge to give in to his gag reflex.

"I really don't have a problem sleeping on the couch-"

"What, you think I want to share a bed with you? Give me a break. I already tried pitching your idea. Lucas doesn't want you sleeping on the couch. But, I swear, If I feel anything while you're in the bed with me, even a damn erection sprouting-"

"Trust me. You won't." Ness said, cutting him off.

Red raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms in front of him. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

The raven haired male blinked, hoping he didn't look as trapped as he felt. What the hell was he supposed to say to a question like that? Wanting to screw around with his boyfriend's brother was not on his list of things to do, especially when that person was Red. No, he was much too busy wiping the drool off of his chin from all the torture Lucas and his stupid morals were putting him through. But if he was honest with Red and told him that if it were up to him, Ness wouldn't touch the guy with a ten foot pole, he might take it the wrong way… which seemed to be the direction things were going right now.

"I just-I mean-" Ness flushed furiously, tripping over his words. "Well, you're my boyfriend's brother."

Red narrowed his eyes at him before flashing him a stiff grin. "God, you're such a nervous little shit. You've got to learn to take a joke."

Wow… and he'd thought Lucas's sense of humor had been different. Red was definitely the type of guy that laughed at dead baby jokes and took it five steps too far when it came to 'humor'.

"Uh-"

"Dinner's ready." Lucas called out, giving Ness a much needed excuse to bolt from the table. Quickly making his way to the blonde's side, he glanced over at Red to make sure he wasn't within earshot before muttering,

"Please don't leave me alone with your brother again. Ever. He seems to have it in his mind that he and I are actually going to be sleeping in the same bed."

Lucas chuckled, raising an eyebrow before handing Ness a plate of shrimp alfredo. Taking two more plates in his hand, one presumably for Red, he glanced over at his brother who was eyeing the two of them suspiciously from his seat at the table.

"Yes, he does seem to be a bit socially challenged at times. Don't worry, though, I assure you that his bark is much worse than his bite."

Ness hoped Lucas was right, hesitantly following him back over to the table and taking a seat next to his boyfriend, across from his brother.

"So, brother, I do sincerely hope that you've been a good host while I've been busy."

A wry smirk snaked its way across Red's face as he glanced in Ness's direction.

"Of course I have. We've been chatting it up like old pals."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, regarding Red with a humorless stare. "I am completely serious about this matter. All three of us are going to be living together, and I assure you, if you make Nathaniel feel uncomfortable, he will not be the only leaving."

Red stared at his brother in disbelief. "But, I mean, seriously? Come one. He's just-"

"He's quite important to me, if you haven't managed to come to that conclusion yourself already. And he's trustworthy, also."

The bully's eyes narrowed as he swallowed hard. "What the hell are you trying to say?"

"I told him everything. He knows about mother. And what I did."

Red froze, a horrified expression spreading across his face, quickly replaced by rage.

"What the holy fuck were you thinking! Are you fucking kidding me with this shit! You know how hard we've had to try to keep this a secret for so long and you just go and blow everything for this faggot! You know what's going to happen! He's going to punk out on you like a little bitch and blab your secret and that's going to be it for you, Lucas!"

"No. I won't." Ness tried not to shy away as Red turned his wrath on him.

"You sure as hell better not, because if you do, I swear, I won't hesitate to put a bullet in your head and-"

In one swift movement, Lucas grabbed Red by the collar, yanked him up and slammed him against the wall. When he spoke, his voice was low and serious, an underlying threat to it.

"I love you, brother, but I swear, if you ever threaten him again, I assure you, you will regret it. You think I have made a mistake by telling him, but you make presumptions about things you do not understand. Know that he is important to me and let that be enough. "

Struggling for a moment, Red locked eyes with his brother, his face going lax as something passed between them. Slowly, he nodded, muttering something to Lucas under his breath. Letting go of his brother, the blonde returned to his seat, turning to his brother and waiting for him to do the same.

Hesitantly, Red took a seat across from Ness, cursing under his breath before clearing his throat.

"Alright… I'm sorry about that. And I mean it, this time. I mean, I'm not sorry because I care about you or anything, but I'm sorry because you're important to my brother, and hurting you would hurt him. I don't get it, I really don't, but I guess that doesn't really matter. I mean, I thought he'd just told you that we were brothers and that he had some sort of weird dude stalking him, not all the other shit. It's just… I hate the fact that you now have everything you need to screw my brother over and get him locked up for life if you want to. But I guess that probably also means I owe you big time for keeping our secret so far… so yeah. You can't be all that bad if you haven't told anyone about us yet."

Ness straightened a little in his seat, knowing if he was sure of anything, it was this. "I won't ever tell anyone about you and Lucas. I promise. I mean, even if we ever did piss each other off and shit, I wouldn't. That's just not who I am." Not to mention he'd rather accept whatever consequences he had to before hurting the blonde like that and turning him in.

Red nodded, for once not regarding Ness like he was inferior to him.

"Thanks."

An odd silence fell over the three of them, the kind that you get after all the tension in a room has been released all at once, like when you let all the air out of a balloon. Finally, though, Lucas spoke up, breaking the silence.

"So, I suppose this doesn't mean you'd be willing to let Nathaniel and I share a room after all?"

Ness laughed, soon joined by a cackle from Red. "Nope. Not a Chance in hell."

"Indeed. I was afraid of that."

* * *

He blinked, rolling over for the umpteenth time that night. Yup, he'd been coaxed… ok, more like forced, into sleeping in the same bed as Red. Which had been loads of fun. After making fun of his piggy slippers and pulling all the covers onto his side of the bed, the bully had been kind enough to top the whole thing off with some snoring that was making it impossible for Ness to get any real sleep.

And, of course, the fact that he knew his boyfriend was asleep right in the next room didn't exactly help either. Turns out Lucas slept shirtless in the summer, which had been a nice little surprise when he'd come out of the bathroom from changing. The only thing that had kept him from staring shamelessly was the fact that Red had been in the room, eyeing him like a hawk before telling him he thought it was probably past his bed time.

Yeah, he'd gotten a decent feel of his chest during their little make out session the night of the dance, but he'd had his shirt on then. Ness could only imagine what he felt like right now, his skin just slightly dampened with a thin layer of perspiration from the summer heat, glistening in the moonlight-

Gah. He really needed to stop. The last thing he needed to do was get all excited and shit while he was in the same bed as Red. Yeah, that'd be just great. The guy would probably wake up thinking Nate was hot for him and freak out like the homophobe he was.

 _Creak._

Ness bolted upright, squinting his eyes in an effort to see through the darkness. Damn. He knew he'd heard something. He couldn't help the paranoia welling up inside of him, telling him it could be whoever was stalking Lucas, breaking in to send one last message.

Pushing himself up off the bed, Ness did his best to move silently as he crept into the living room, closing the bedroom door behind him before scanning the room. The living room was empty, nothing but a few crumpled blankets on the couch where Lucas should've been and the sliding glass door slightly ajar.

Ness took a deep breath, trying not to panic as he cautiously pushed open the glass door and stepped onto the back porch.

"Ah. I see I wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping."

He spun around on his heels, spotting his boyfriend leaned up against the side of the apartment.

"Lucas! You scared the shit out of-" Ness's voice faltered as his gaze zeroed in on what the blonde was holding in his hand. "Luke, what the hell are you doing?"

A small smirk tugged at the corner's of the jock's lips as he lifted the cigarette in his hand.

"Ah. Yes. I must've forgotten to tell you amidst all that's been going on lately. Smoking serves as an adequate stress reliever for me. It's quite relaxing, really."

Of course. That's why he always smelled like peppermint. He must chew some sort of peppermint gum to get rid of the smell cigarettes left. Ness's whole body tensed up as his mind tried to wrap itself around the idea that Lucas smoked. He knew he was probably overreacting, but he couldn't help the anger welling up inside of him that the blonde would do something like this to himself.

His protective side taking over, Ness lunged forward, grabbing the cigarette out of his hands and throwing it on the ground. "Don't you know these things are bad for you!"

Lucas shrugged, seemingly indifferent. "Yes, of course I've heard of the negative side effects that come with such a habit as mine. We all as humans, however, have a sort of destructive streak that we fulfill one way or another. This is simply my way of fulfilling that need. I could substitute it with much worse alternatives, like alcohol or drugs you know."

"That's a bunch of bullshit. You don't see me going and doing stupid shit like shooting up or taking a whiff of some god damn cancer stick."

Alright. So maybe his words were coming out a lot harsher than he had meant them to, but it was only because he was pissed as hell about how nonchalant Lucas was being about all this. This was serious shit. People died from crap like this. And Ness couldn't bear the thought of him breathing in that god damn poison, knowing it could very well one day kill him.

The blonde raised an eyebrow, taking a step forward. "Indeed. You have a much more subtle way of fulfilling this need."

"Oh, really. And how's that?" Ness asked, still mad as hell about the fact that his boyfriend apparently smoked.

"Look how long and hard you tried to push me away. Even when I made it obvious that I was sincerely interested in you, you still made the choice to go to that party with Shulk knowing very well what might transpire as a result."

Ness swallowed hard, knowing Lucas had a hell of a point. He'd been in serious denial for a hell of a long time. And even when he'd acknowledged the fact that Lucas's interest in him was real, and that he was everything he'd always wanted, he'd still made the choice to go to that party with Shulk.

"Yeah… I mean, that was really stupid of me. And I'm glad you didn't give up on me. But I stopped, didn't I? I stopped pushing you away. And you're still smoking this shit."

An amused look spread across the blonde's face as he reached into his pocket, opening his box of cigarettes and dumping them onto the ground. Ness blinked, shocked.

"Very well. I suppose you have given me a reason to want to stick around. After all, someone has to be here to watch over you."

He tried to stop the silly grin that was already spreading across his face, his anger quickly slipping away only to be replaced by that familiar warmth in his chest he often felt when he was around Lucas. He just made it so hard to stay mad at him when he said shit like that.

"I'm going to hold you to it, too. If I see you smoking again, Lucas, I'm going to be pissed as hell."

The blonde grinned, taking a few steps forward. Ness registered for the first time that his boyfriend still didn't have a shirt on. Just great. Yet another reason not to stay mad at him.

"Fair enough," the blonde mused, glancing across the terrace at the park in the distance. "Would you like to go for a walk, Nathaniel? I'm not feeling particularly tired, and I highly doubt you're very eager to join my brother back in the apartment again."

Ness let out a small laugh, shaking his head. "Yeah, that sounds like a lot more fun than trying to fall back to sleep next to your brother. You know, you could've warned me he snored so god damn loud. I would've brought some ear buds with me."

Lucas chuckled, disappearing back into the apartment for a second before coming back out with a shirt on. Ness frowned slightly, trying not to let his disappointment show.

"You know, Nathaniel, after seeing your possessive side back in the mall, I naturally assumed that you'd prefer for me to save that specific side of myself for when it's just the two of us. If you'd prefer, however, for me to remain shirtless while we're in public." Lucas began, moving his hands down to the bottom of his shirt as if to pull it over his head.

"No!" Ness snapped, grabbing hold of one of Lucas's hands. He may love the sight of him shirtless more than he knew he had any right to, but he sure as hell wasn't the sharing type, and he wanted to keep the nice little sight of his boyfriend shirtless all to himself. Besides, it was kind of sweet, how Lucas wanted to keep that part of himself for just the two of them. It made it seem more special, like his body was for Ness's eyes only, which naturally just made him want his boyfriend more. Now if only they'd actually do some shit that would require him to show that side of himself.

Lucas chuckled, holding Ness's hand in his own as he began to lead the way towards the nearby park.

"I thought you might feel that way."

* * *

 **There we are guys! Chapter 31 of The Raven and the Lion. Okay... so there's an announcement. I will not be updating this story till I post four other things before the next chapter. I have two one-shots I have to write, one for a contest and the other being my pure intuition, then I have two other chapters for stories in other fandoms I need to address before coming back to this one. Then, whenever I post Chapter 31, hopefully by next week... I won't be updating any stories until May 12th. Yes, I'm serious. Yes, this isn't a late April Fools joke, I need to get my priorities straight, and that is school. If I do manage to have time to find an update I will do it, but nothing as quick and fast like these updates for the past three months have been. Things have come up. For after May 12th until the start of my 11th grade year of high school, I'll have more updates than I'll know what do with, plus the new beginnings of a multi-chaptered project I cannot wait to start. Review replies!**

 **mother-sins- Things will be complicated for awhile, we're nearing the end, and it's time you pray to your lucky stars I end this nicely. Because I just might not. ;) And thank you so much! That really means a lot to me. I do have more work than just this you realize, stories that far outnumber this.**

 **Ninten64- Thanks for the compliment! Glad I could deliver. And don't worry. Ness and Nana will smooth things over eventually, we do have to tie that loose end up at some point before this ends, but it could go both ways. Lol, I can totally see that happening in real life. And here's your bombshell! Was it fragmented enough?**

 **Sugarcube- I'm a sophomore currently right now, Biology in my state is required to be completed by 10th graders. Class is okay for me, nothing too hard, but nothing too easy for sure. My AP exam for that is on May 9th, one of the reasons why I need this break. Juggling two things is hard. I used to be able to do it because school wasn't too hard... but now that is a totally different story.**

 **6- I didn't think there'd be a theme for this story, but whom am I kidding? It's fiction, there's always a theme. Maybe not as prevalent as my other abstract works like Teach Me How to Cry, but all the same, I suppose! :D You make me smile, please stop. You give my writing too much accolade. But, thank you. I hope I can fulfill to the best of my non-existent ability.**

 **Guest- Lucas will always be twenty times more stable. Ness, personally, is that guy who will go flock wherever the grass is greener. I'm serious.**

 **HipsterPrushy- ..."And his heart grew three times its normal size that day..." That's what your review says to me, and thank you so much! Heh... so sorry about it not even close being a Wednesday update, and the fact you'll have to wait so long for everything else, but life is life and you have to do whatever you can to stay afloat, no? That's awesome that you were able to do it. Fun fact, I've been able to read my story Cross Examined in roughly two and a half to three hours in one sitting. ;)**

 **Ender2412- Oooh... I love the new icon! Don't worry my little fretful reader, Ness and Red will smooth out. It's Red and Shulk we need to worry about, because that man still... well... you know what he did. Yes, I have heard that song. I like it. Not my favorite by them personally, which is Princess of China rather, but that violin at the beginning causes me to replay the song over and over and over again. Hahaha, okay, okay... calm down. It's just a fictional character. Yeah... about that wait though.**

 **YuukixMitsuru- FIRST! Hey, none of that. This is _not_ the YouTube comment section, I swear man. Ness is amusing because he can never make up his mind, truthfully. Don't worry, she isn't gone... at least not yet. Notice how no one has died yet...**

 **That's all we've got for now, guys! I think you'll all be super happy to know that the next chapter, #32, will cause this Rated T story to elevate a little bit... to Rated M territory. And you all know what that means, don't you? *insert winking and total blushing from everyone who is reading this story* It makes it even better that the update is happening a little bit later (hoping it can come out sometime next week), but we'll be skyrocketing the rating for this, and staying there. Love you all! Please review! Have a great day!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	32. Chapter 32: Lust in the Park

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #32: Lust in the Park. So... today is the day our story crosses over from Rated T territory to Rated M territory. Now, if you aren't following this story and you want to make sure to never miss an update, I suggest following it, as you won't be able to find it in the regular filter, you'll need to filter by ALL Ratings from now on- so go and follow. I have very good news for you all. I won't have to go on hiatus until May the 12th, (Ender, it was the 12th, not the 21st... lol), so I will be making sure to update this at least once a week, as these chapters will be getting longer for the final stretch. We are literally nine chapters (including this one), to the end. End. As in no more Raven and the Lion. What the hell, right? Be warned everyone, we have Rated M content in this chapter. As in, a lemon. As in be prepared. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ness bit down on his lip, trying to stop the silly grin that was already spreading across his face. Too late.

"Yes, Nathaniel?"

The raven haired boy flushed, glad Lucas probably couldn't see his cheeks turning red in the darkness. The thought had just struck him that right now, with his boyfriend, everything seemed absolutely perfect, like some type of fairytale. It was weird. He'd just had his mother reject him for being gay and lost his best friend of almost seventeen years, but, honestly, he couldn't be happier.

And he knew exactly why.

He was turning into one of those really lame people that he used to make fun of in every chick flick he'd ever seen, the type that smiled for no reason and walked around oblivious to everything else going on around them just because they were with that one special person. Yup. He was becoming one of those people, and he couldn't even bring himself to give a damn.

"Nothing. I mean, doesn't it just kinda seem a little like we're in some clichéd movie or something, where the two characters take the infamous long walk on the beach as the sun sets on the horizon. Except were in a park, and it's, like, midnight."

Lucas chuckled, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he glanced over at Ness.

"Yes, I suppose the two do have certain parallels. You did, however, forget one distinct difference."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"In the movies, you'd undoubtedly be a girl."

The younger male's eyes flared, his brow creasing in protest.

"Hey! Who says I'm the girl! Yuck! I mean, c'mon! Why couldn't I be the guy?"

An amused look spread across the jock's face as he came to a stop, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I suppose I could tell, but it'd be a lot more interesting to show you."

Ness crossed his arms in front of him, putting on his best pouty face. Something about the way Lucas had said 'interesting' made him think he was up to something.

"Fine. Go ahead, but I doubt you'll be able to…" Ness's voice trailed off as Lucas took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Ah. He'd been talking about _that_ type of interesting, the type that made him wish he'd taken his boyfriend up on his offer to remain shirtless.

"You see…" the blonde mused, slowly circling around the younger male till he was standing behind him. "It's in the… subtle differences between you and I," he whispered, his breath coming down on the back of Ness's neck in warm waves. "That make all the difference."

The raven haired male inhaled sharply as he felt Lucas's soft lips come down on the side of his neck, his tongue dragging across his bare skin in slow, teasing strokes. Ness could feel his whole body tense up, his back arching outwards reflexively as he tried not to totally lose himself in the sensation.

Shit. If he kept this up, he was going to be hard in no time. And they'd just started. He needed to at least try and hold out a little longer till they'd both at least lost a substantial amount of clothing.

"Like this..." the jock whispered, suddenly dragging his teeth across the spot his mouth had been working on a moment before.

Ness bit down on his lip to keep from moaning, leaning his head back and to the side to give Lucas easier access. Gah. So much for holding up any resistance. A few sweeps of the blonde's tongue and his resolve had melted with the rest of his willpower.

"Or this…" Lucas whispered, moving his lips up Ness's neck in a series of open mouthed kisses and pausing for a second as he reached his ear.

Ness cursed under his breath, his whole body wanting his boyfriend's lips against his as he tried to spin around and face him. Lucas's hands went to his hips, though, holding them in place before he could turn around.

He so knew what he was doing, the sadistic bastard; dragging this torture out and giving him just a taste of what he wanted without actually giving him the real thing.

"Lucas," Ness pleaded, his voice coming out in a strangled breath. He couldn't hide the desperation in his voice, the undeniable need for more of what the blonde was giving him. He had him hanging in the balance, teetering right along the edge of control.

"And this…" Lucas whispered, dipping his thumbs just below the hem of Ness's pants and moving them in a slow, circular motion. The young waiter closed his eyes, his body totally giving in to the feeling. God, he was losing it again, his concentration slipping as his mind tried to imagine what it would feel like if Lucas's hands moved just a little lower and towards the middle of his body.

"I know you've been wanting this, been having to satiate yourself in… less satisfying ways," Ness flushed, knowing all too well what the blonde was referring to. "But you've never once acted to meet this need through me, not without me initiating anything first."

Well, it wasn't as if he exactly had much experience in this area… alright, any experience, if he was being honest. He couldn't even imagine how Lucas could stand doing any of this shit with him, seeing as half the time he wasn't even able to move or do anything but beg him to continue. Yeah. What a load of fun it probably was for him.

Loosening his grip on Ness's hips, Lucas allowed him to around so that they were facing one another.

"Would it make you feel better to know that almost every night this past week, I've woken up hard for you?"

Ness froze, his breath catching in his throat as his heart skipped a beat. No, he couldn't have just said… he must've heard him wrong.

"Don't look so surprised," the jock whispered, a suggestive smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "I've always told you that you seem to have a rather peculiar effect on me."

Yeah, peculiar. Not 'you get me all hot and bothered'.

Ness blushed furiously, his mind still trying to wrap itself around the idea that _he_ had that effect on Lucas. Between the dizzying sensation in his head, the fact that his knees felt like they might give out at any time, and the feeling that his stomach was doing enough backflips to be an Olympic gymnast, the raven haired boy felt totally and completely incapacitated.

"I-ah-"

"Nathaniel, I was under the impression that there was something else you'd rather be doing with your mouth. But perhaps I was mistaken-"

Ah... screw trying to act composed. Lucas was baiting him, and he was so going for it. Grabbing on to the front of his shirt, Ness fisted the fabric, pulling him forward and capturing the blonde's lips with his own. God, they were just as soft and warm as he remembered, maybe even more so.

He could feel Lucas smirk into the kiss, obviously satisfied he'd gotten the reaction he'd wanted out of Ness. Moving one hand behind the younger male's neck, Lucas tangled his hand in Ness's hair, pulling him even closer with the other hand he'd wrapped around the hem on his boyfriend's pants.

After a few short kisses, he could feel Lucas's mouth part against his own, slowly licking at his lower lip with a few deliberate strokes. Ness kept his mouth closed, wanting to hold out at least a little longer than last time. Resisting the urge to moan, he kept his-

Holy shit. Ness let out a sharp gasp as Lucas's hand pulled back on his hair, tilting his head back just slightly so that his lips parted. Letting out a moan as the blonde's tongue slid inside, he felt Lucas's body brush up against his, sending his breathing into a fit of gasps and strangled breaths.

He couldn't wait any longer. He needed to know what his boyfriend felt like pressed up against him, bare skin against bare skin, sharing body heat.

Sliding his hands under Lucas's shirt, Ness took a harsh breath as his hands slid up his chest.

My god, he was ripped. Totally and completely. Every inch of him felt solid, like granite, the contours of his muscles so defined he could picture them just from having run his hands across them even in the darkness. At the same time, though, his skin was smooth, incredibly soft despite the firmness of the muscles below them. He could feel Lucas's chest expand and contract under his hands, feel every movement he made, and god, it was pure heaven.

Pausing, the raven haired boy frowned as his boyfriend pulled back slightly, breaking the contact his hands had made with Lucas's chest. In one swift movement, though, the blonde had discarded of his shirt, pulling it over his head before tossing it to the ground.

Ness stood there for a second, his eyes shamelessly soaking up the sight of Lucas's chest, confronting the youthful waiter with the dilemma of wanting to stare at his half-naked body and feel it pressed up against him at the same time.

Lucas made the choice for him, locking lips with his boyfriend once more. After a few more deep kisses, though, Ness could feel Lucas's hands begin to slide under his shirt, obviously wanting the same thing the raven haired boy himself had a few seconds ago. Ness immediately tensed up, his body jolting slightly at the feel of the jock's hands on his bare skin.

Lucas pulled back, obviously picking up on the change in Ness.

Oh shit. Biting down on his lip, he cursed under his breath, hoping he hadn't just ruined the moment. He hadn't meant to tense up. Honestly. And it wasn't that he didn't trust his boyfriend. Because he did, so much that it scared him. It's just… Lucas was, well, pretty much the physical embodiment of a god, at least as far as Ness was concerned. And… well… let's just say he wasn't exactly swimsuit model material… actually, he was more like the kid in P.E. that always finished last and nobody wanted on their team.

Yup. What a catch, right?

"Nathaniel, what's wrong? Are we moving too fast?" Lucas's voice was dripping with concern, the gut-wrenching kind that left Ness feeling guilty as hell. They'd already been through so much. This shouldn't even be an issue.

He shook his head, flushing furiously. Hell, he would have been more than fine if his boyfriend had decided to strip down right in front of him to his birthday suit. That was sooo not the problem.

"No. I, ah, it's just…" God, he was being a total buzz kill here. If he kept this up, he was going to ruin the mood and have nothing to blame for it but his stupid god damn insecurities.

"Ah…" Lucas seemed to read the look on his face, his tone one of understanding.

Stepping forward, Ness blinked as he realized the blonde was… smiling?

"Nathaniel, what am I going to have to do to convince you that you're _exactly_ what I want. You can see the proof." Lucas's eyes drifted downwards, Ness following his gaze to the bulge in his pants.

Blushing deeply, the raven haired stumbled over his words, wishing they would come out as smoothly as the suave blonde's had.

"Well, I mean- it's just- you haven't seen me without a shirt on so-" Gah. He couldn't believe he was actually going to say this. "So what if you uh, like, you're hard on stops or whatever because you see me without a shirt on?"

Lucas chuckled softly, shaking his head. "How quickly we forget, Nathaniel. Do you not remember that I saw you without your shirt on even before we started dating when I made that surprise visit to your house? Because trust me, I haven't."

Ness flushed, both at the suggestion in the jock's voice and the fact that he'd been such an idiot about all this.

"Oh-ugh-shit, I'm sor-"

"Sh.." Lucas whispered, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he pulled Ness forward by the hem of his pants. "Don't apologize. You have no reason to, especially not when there's so many better things you could be doing with your mouth right now."

Forcing himself not to think about the fact that in a few seconds he was probably going to be shirtless, he leaned forward, running his hands up the jock's chest and locking lips with him.

After a few dizzying kisses, he'd relaxed just enough to not pull back when he felt Lucas's hands slowly slip under his shirt. Inhaling sharply, he soon forgot about the whole 'I look like a prepubescent girl without my shirt on' thing as he felt his boyfriend's hands on him, the blissfully soft warmth sending his breathing into overdrive. His attention went back to his mouth as he felt Lucas drag his teeth along his lower lip, tugging just enough to draw another moan out of Ness

Holy shit, that felt good. He'd never thought he'd be one for the whole biting thing, but shit, Lucas seemed to be able to maintain the perfect balance between pain and pleasure. Problem was, though, the feeling drove him crazy, his breathing becoming a mess of ragged breaths and gasps. Ness had to pull away, taking the opportunity to catch his breath as the blonde slipped his shirt over his head.

That only lasted a second, though, Lucas not giving him the time to be embarrassed as he pulled Ness back to him, one hand tangling itself in his hair and the other going to his lower chest. Lowering his head, Ness leaned his head back as the blonde's mouth went to his neck, parting slightly to stroke at the sensitive flesh. At the same time, though, his hands hand moved up his chest, his thumbs moving in teasing circular motions around Ness's nipples.

He could feel his back arch forward reflexively, his whole body needing to know what it felt like to be pressed up against Lucas's. The blonde kept just enough space between them to keep their bodies from grinding up against one another, though, instead dragging the tips of his fingernails across his nipples.

" Lucas... damn it… you son of a bitch..." he breathed, his words broken between gasps. He was having way too much fun torturing him with this shit.

Smirking into his neck, after a few more strokes of his tongue Lucas's mouth went back to Ness's, the hand that had been on his chest sliding to his back and pulling him forward.

Ness gasped as his body collided with Lucas's, bare skin slick against bare skin from the sweat they'd both worked up. He could feel the blonde's erection rub up against him, his hips slowly rocking back and forth against Ness's as he wrapped his arms around Lucas, his nails digging in to his back as he pulled him as close as he could manage. He could feel his own hard on throbbing at the contact, begging for him to lose the clothing separating his skin from his boyfriend's as he let out a low moan. The friction was just enough to take him right to the edge without pushing him over, and dammit, he couldn't keep this up much longer.

"Lucas… please….just-"

Ness's breath caught in his throat as he felt the blonde's hands go to his pants, quickly unlatching the button and going to his zipper.

Holy shit. Were they really going to do this? Here, in the park, with only the moonlight to guide them? He sure as hell hoped so, because god knows Lucas wasn't going to let any of this shit go down back at the apartment when Red would be in the next room, and even if he would they'd both be tense as hell knowing he could walk in on them anytime.

Ness froze as he felt his jeans slide down to his knees, his mind doing a lot of 'holy fuck's' as he tried to stay upright. Suddenly, though, Lucas shifted to the side, moving behind Ness and placing his hands on either side of Nate's hips.

His lips brushed up against the side of his neck, much softer and gentler than before as his mouth alternated between sucking and stroking.

The raven haired boy could feel his body relax slightly, focusing on the sensations of the jock's lips against his skin instead of the fact that Lucas's hands were slowly inching his boxers down, little by little. Every time he would tense up, Lucas would stop, calming him with the sensation of his soft lips moving against his neck.

Finally, though, he felt his boxers slide down his knees, joining his jeans on the ground. Ness inhaled sharply. Holy crap. He was standing butt naked at midnight in the middle of a park he'd never even been to before.

 _"Keep it together. Keep it together. Don't freak out, or he'll stop."_ he coached himself.

Ness held his breath as he felt Luke's hands slide past his hips, slowly moving to the front of his body and-

"Luke?"

The younger male let out something between a gasp and a moan as he felt Lucas's hand brush across his length, obviously testing the waters to see if Ness could handle what he had planned. He bit down on his lip, his whole body shaking as he leaned back into Lucas to steady himself.

Pausing for a second, Lucas waited till Ness had stopped moaning to run his thumb along the top of his boyfriend's shaft, the rest of his fingers brushing along it's underside as he slowly moved his hand back and forth.

Fuck, Ness felt like he couldn't breathe. The tension in his length was insane, leaving the rest of his body rigid. He could feel it building with every stroke of Lucas's hand, his harsh moans filling the air.

Vaguely, he registered the fact that Lucas had lifted his head, his lips no longer on Ness's neck. Brushing across the side of his ear, Ness could barely focus enough to make out what the blonde was whispering to him.

"Look down, Nathaniel."

Ness did as he was told, completely at the jock's mercy as he focused his eyes downward.

Oh. Crap.

Ness almost lost it at the sight of Lucas's hand on his shaft, moving back and forth a little faster each time. Finally, the blonde's hand moved forward, his thumb sliding across the raven haired boy's tip. Ness could feel his body spazm, his hips bucking as the tension in his body was released, emptying himself into Lucas's hands.

Slumping back against the solid rock chest of his boyfriend, Ness could feel his knees give out as the jock steadied him with his clean hand, slowly easing them both to the ground. Reaching for his shirt, he quickly cleaned himself off so that he'd be able to hold Ness with both hands.

He did his best to try and slow his breathing as he felt Lucas bend his knees, pulling Ness back towards him and positioning him between his legs. The waiter let his head fall back against Lucas's shoulder, calmed slightly as his boyfriend pressed his lips to his forehead, stroking his hair slowly.

Ness sat there like that, savoring the feeling of the blonde's chest expanding and contracting against him and his hands gently running through his hair.

Gah. He felt amazing, like he was floating from some type of euphoric bliss. That had been… intense. He'd never felt anything like it, and the fact that it was with Lucas had made it ten times better. He hadn't thought it was possible to feel this fatigued and completely alive at the same time. Every cell in his body was humming, content to stay like this in Lucas's arms forever.

A slight shiver running through his body, Ness realized he was still completely naked. His body was slowly recovering from its nice little trip to heaven, returning to its normal body temperature. Hesitantly, he leaned forward, immediately feeling the difference it made not being pressed up against his boyfriend and sharing body heat. He quickly slid his pants on, deciding to hold off on putting his shirt on just so he'd be able to feel Lucas's bare chest pressed up against his for a little longer.

Turning back to the blonde, Ness frowned as he realized he hadn't finished him off, the bulge still in his pants. He'd lain down with his back down in the grass, his hands behind his head as he watched the raven haired boy with a soft smile on his face that he had never seen before.

Ness could feel a smile that must've been similar to Lucas's on his own face as he crawled back to him, his hands going to his boyfriend's jeans.

"Nathaniel." Lucas whispered, his hands going to the younger male's and gently stopping him.

"Dude, you're still-"

"I'm quite content, truly."

If Ness had just been going by the look on his face, he would have believed him. Lucas looked so blissfully peaceful, more utterly content than he'd ever seen him before. Anatomy, though, didn't lie, and it wasn't fair that he'd been able to go all the way while his lover hadn't.

"Lucas, c'mon. Let me finish you-"

"Nathaniel, I do not think that would be a good idea. _Trust me_ , I want nothing more than to indulge you in your request. If I did so, however, there would be no going back."

Ness took a shallow breath, half-tempted to tell Lucas that that was all the more reason to let him have his way. Reminding himself, though, that the whole waiting thing was obviously very important to him, he settled with crawling back to Lucas's side, collapsing once again with his head and hand on his chest.

He could feel Lucas's hand go back to his hair, stroking gently while his other hand came to rest on Ness's back.

"I don't know why you worry when you're around me," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "You're quite beautiful, Nathaniel. Especially with your clothes off."

Ness flushed, glancing up at Lucas. He could tell by the look in his eyes that he was serious. Dead serious. He had this soft smile on his face, his eyes focused on him in a way that made his heart skip a beat.

"Lucas. You're so… I don't know. I don't get it. I mean, it's like you see something in me that the rest of the world doesn't, that I can't even see. I just… sometimes I wonder if we're seeing the same thing. "

"We're not. You're seeing the person the rest of the world has told you that you are. I'm seeing you, Nathaniel."

The raven haired boy swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. "I could've never done this with anyone else, you know. I mean, not just because of all the other shit, but… I feel safe around you. Like, I was scared at first because I didn't know what the hell I was doing and you know about all this shit and stuff, but, I was able to get through it because I trusted you… I never thought I'd be able to do that with anyone."

Lucas was quiet for a minute before speaking again. "You know, it's different with you."

"What?"

"Everything's different. Because it matters. Before, when I was with someone, it was easy because I didn't really care if they liked whatever transpired or not. With you, though, it matters. Everything matters."

After a moment of silence, the blonde spoke again, his tone much heavier than it had been before. The smile on his face had been replaced by a look of seriousness, though he still radiated bliss.

"Promise me something."

Ness tilted his head up towards Lucas's, letting out a sigh of contentment as a mumbled a "Yes?"

"Promise me you'll always let me take care of you. No matter what."

The waiter's brows furrowed in confusion, a questioning look spreading across his face. Yeah, if you took the comment at face value it sounded innocent enough. But Ness couldn't shake the underlying ominous feeling surrounding it.

"Lucas, why-"

"Just promise, Nathaniel."

He nodded, feeling too utterly blissful to put up any resistance.

The blonde let out a sigh of relief, that soft smile of his returning.

Ness gave in to the fatigue that had come over him, smiling into Lucas's chest as he closed his eyes. He could feel himself slowly drifting off to sleep, losing the battle to keep his eyes open. He didn't want to fall asleep. He wanted to stay in the moment, forever. He knew when he woke up they'd have to go back to Red's apartment and keep at least a good ten feet between them. Tonight, though, it was just the two of them. And he never wanted it to end.

* * *

Ness squinted, opening one eye, then the other. This wasn't the park. And this definitely wasn't Lucas's chest he was sleeping on. Squinting through the darkness, he realized he was back in Red's apartment, lying on the couch. Lucas must've carried him back after he'd fallen asleep last night. Thank god he hadn't put him back in the same bed as the mahogany haired bully. That would've been more than a little awkward, sleeping next to his boyfriend's brother after he'd just given him a hand job. Yeah. If Red ever found out, that was as good as a death wish for him.

But… if he was on the couch, then where was-

"Good morning, Nathaniel."

Ness squinted as light spilled in from the bathroom door, Lucas's figure emerging in the doorway. Gah, he looked so good wet. What a perfect way to start off the day. He'd just gotten out of the shower, his hair plastered to his face in brown wet strands, his chest even more swoon-worthy than the night before with the water glistening off-

"Hey shitface! You wanna stop drooling like a fucking moron?"

Ness flushed, snapping his head to the right. Red was sitting at the dinning room table, glaring daggers at him over his bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Crap. He hadn't realized he'd been there when he'd not-so-subtly checked his boyfriend out from across the room a few seconds ago.

"Red... I won't have you speaking to Nathaniel like that."

"Oh, right, I'm sorry," he replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Sweet, innocent boy, who never has any impure thoughts and is probably asexual anyways, would you please stop staring at my brother like you want to jump him."

Ness could feel his cheeks redden even more at his words. Gah, he was such a rude son of a bitch.

"Now, now, Red, don't you think you're being just a bit hypocritical," Lucas chided, shaking his head as he towel-dried his hair. "You know very well that you wouldn't even hesitate to have sex in front of me if you found yourself living with your boyfriend, or girlfriend in your case."

The blonde smirked as Red hurled his spoon across the room, shooting him a death glare."Oh, shut the hell up. And you two better not have done any shit last night either. I don't know how the fuck you ended up out here, _Ness_ , but this sure as shit better not be a permanent arrangement."

"Oh, calm yourself, Red," Lucas called over his shoulder, disappearing into the bedroom for a few seconds before emerging with a shirt and a new pair of jeans on. "I can assure you that last night, nothing transpired under this roof that you would disapprove of."

Ness bit down on his lip to keep from smiling, averting his gaze to the ground to keep from look at Lucas. Well, technically, he had told the truth. Nothing had gone down in this apartment, per say, Red would have blown a blood vessel over. A few blocks over in the nearby park was a different story, though.

But hey, what Red didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right?

* * *

 **Okay... let me wipe up the blood. *picks up a towel* Yes, I know I didn't exactly go and write actual sex between the two (least... not yet anyways), but that type of content is enough to elevate the rating to M. I hope it was enjoyable enough for you, and there's more in that department. If you want to read more of this type of content, go check out Dark Tech Tethered on Darkness (Marth x Ike), and Oasis (Lucas x Ness) for content similar to this. You won't regret it my friends.**

 **mother-sins- What makes you feel like it won't end well? I don't know what would've given you that hint last chapter. And I'm glad you did give me some sort of reaction... it makes my heart smile. Hope it tickled your fancy pleasure.**

 **Retronym- I love seeing your name as the reviewer sometimes. I have no damn idea why. I am luckily not having to make this go on any hiatus of the sort... but another story of mine will have to take that punishment instead which makes me quite sad, but hey, what can I do about that, right? I hope this chapter wasn't too much for you (after all you did read Infernum, Chapter 4, remember? Plastic Beach? Pit x Dark Pit... uh huh). Cheers!**

 **Sugarcube- Sometimes we need cute in our Ness x Lucas life, because the lord knows I sure as hell don't give them any some sort of break in the story besides from their little itsy moments. Hopefully this rose to the top immensely (watch, I killed like all of you). Keep onto your thought, it's going to come into play real soon about Lucas's dad... but you'll have to read to find out!**

 **Ender2412- Well guess what, Ender? No more announcement of hiatus! This story will stay on track like normal. You know, with how you're thinking of my characters, should I have Red completely go out of character and try to do some in story incest, eh? It'll spice this piece up for sure! Red... he's a special case. Anything to protect Lucas, you know. The two are a match made in heaven, surely. Yeah... Shulk and Nana have to peek their head around sooner or later, right? What if they're working together? *le gasp* And you're welcome man! That surely means a lot to me!**

 **Mr. Squirtle6- I don't think I've heard better compliments in a long time... you honestly shower with me so much and I don't know how to suck I suppose... thank you so much. I'm good actually, don't need a break. Just... an update a week seems pretty good, I can manage my time pretty well I suppose. The May 12th thing is when I have my last AP exam (AP World History actually, which is a Thursday, as AP Biology is first, on the 9th), and then I have smooth sailing till the end of school, so I'm good. :)**

 **YuukixMitsuru- I know you'd be anticipating this one. I need more from you though, man, it's gonna make me extremely happy if I can get some more How I Met Him. (HEY GUYS, if you ever want to find something to pass your time while waiting for my updates, go read this guy's stuff. It's HOT!) And... you understand Red? I honestly would not have expected you to say that. Like at all. And yes, the rules of explaining shit in relationships, so fun. Hopefully I helped you. Our roleplays sure made it ten times easier. ;)**

 **That's all for this time. And I've got a huge announcement to make, like holy shit guys! This story is now longer than Cross Examined by word count. I wrote Cross Examined in nine months, from July 2013 to March 2014, reaching 96k at 47 chapters. Here we are with The Raven and the Lion, only starting in late January to mid April, at 99k or so... and I reached a higher word count than Cross Examined in less time, at 32 chapters while it took me 47 for CE. That's insane. Now all we have to do is cross my longest word count story called Capitol's Strike, at 112k, which I think we can easily do. Love you all so much! Please review! Expect an update on Saturday! Yes, Saturday! I'd love to see my follow count go up, so you never miss an update! It'd be easier to follow me as an author rather, but do whatever you choose. Have an amazing day! Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	33. Chapter 33: Fix You

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with the latest chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #33: Fix You. Man. Last time we had the final transition of Lucas and Ness's relationship where they love each other forever. This time... we've got a long chapter ahead of you guys, lucky sons of bitches. We are in the Rated M territory now meaning it'll only get worse for our lovely couple... after all we do have only eight chapters left. :( Enjoy today's chapter!**

* * *

It's funny, how someone can become your life when you're not looking. Ness had only been living at Lucas's for a little over a month, but god, it felt like forever. They'd already fallen into a comfortable routine, making things seem normal, even preferable. In his seventeen years of existence, the raven haired boy had never been happier than he had these past few weeks. He spent almost every waking moment with the blonde, and Red had grown to eventually accept the fact that he and his brother were, in fact, a couple, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. In fact, they'd gotten to the point where they could hold hands around him. They could even get away with kissing on the cheek every once in the while. Lip action was still pushing it, but Ness was willing to bet in a couple more weeks Red would be cool with even that.

He spent his mornings with Lucas, sometimes lucky enough to wake up to a few groggy kisses if the older brother wasn't up yet. Then his boyfriend would walk him to his locker, well, technically their locker now. Ness used to share a locker with Nana, but she'd moved out after their little falling out, and since Lucas always insisted on walking him to his locker anyways, it had just been the logical thing for him to move his stuff into Ness's locker. Then Lucas would walk him to class, always insisting to carry his books in one hand and hold hands in the other. At first, he'd been more than a little embarrassed to have someone else carry his stuff. Especially since it was his boyfriend and all, which meant they got looks everywhere they went. Same with the holding hands thing. By now, though, it had turned into something that he enjoyed, even looked forward to. It was like their way of telling everybody else that they were with each other without having to say anything. Of course, there would always be the occasional over-aggressive slut that would try hitting on Lucas the second he wasn't physically attached to Ness, which was another reason he'd come to like the whole holding hands thing. Stupid whores. They never learned.

All that aside, though, it really was nice to just be able to hold hands with him and actually 'be' with him in public instead of trying to hide it.

School was really the longest part of his day, aside from math, which he shared with Lucas. He found himself counting down the minutes till fourth period, where Red had agreed to switch seats with Lucas after a little badgering. Then the jock (in a totally backwards, not stereotypical way) would attempt to translate whatever the teacher had put on the board for Ness, which worked out surprisingly well most of the time. For the first time, he was actually passing the class with a B+. Which was amazing, really. He'd really only ever hoped to pass math with a C-, never actually get anything close to a B.

Then lunch would come, and Lucas would take them out to eat someplace, paying for both thier meals despite Ness's best efforts. Lately they'd been frequenting Chick-Fil-A, since they'd both agreed hands down that the place had the best waffle fries in the city.

Then, despite his best efforts to persuade the jock otherwise, they'd go back to school and finish off their last three classes.

Afternoons varied depending on the day. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays he had to work at Mac's Diner, which Lucas always picked him up and dropped him off at. He had insisted on keeping study dates, the two of them spending a few hours at the coffee shop every Wednesday afternoon. They'd made it a goal to try everything off of the menu, always ordering different drinks and sharing with one another. Currently, they were about 1/15 of the way through, which wasn't all that bad considering how many different drinks the place actually offered. Most of the time, Ness managed to divert the topic of interest from homework. Every once in a while, though, when he got a bad quiz grade, Lucas would insist on cracking down on the books, which was still fun since it always tended to end in him trying to force Erik into some sort of sexual bribery.

And, of course, then there was Fridays. Ness had naturally assumed that there'd be no more movie nights after they'd moved in with Red. He'd been pleasantly surprised, however, to find that Lucas had found a new spot to host movie night. The abandoned parking lot they'd met at in the past had ended up being the perfect alternative to his rooftop. They'd had to go out and buy a whole collection of Disney movies just for the occasion, which was more than alright with the waiter considering they tended to only hold their interest for the first five minutes. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to coax any 'quality time' out of Lucas during those nights like what had gone down between them in the park, but he'd come to enjoy the cuddling and mild make out's the blonde had been willing to meet him half way on. They were nice in a different way than all the hot and heavy shit. It was more…heart-felt , deeper. Every touch meant something different, expressing things that words never could. It was like a different language of its own, and he was beginning to learn what each one meant, slowly but surely.

And, despite the fact that Ness had already almost managed to burn down the kitchen twice, Lucas had insisted on teaching him how to cook. He figured it was probably his way of making up for the fact he wasn't living with his mother anymore since she'd normally be the one to teach him how, so he went along with it for the sake of Lucas's conscience. Honestly, though, with how small the kitchen was, Ness couldn't really complain. With all the brushing up they ended up doing with one another, half the time he ended up eating dinner across from Red with a partial hard-on. Which was just great. Obviously.

One day out of every week, Lucas would surprise him with something. One time it had been flowers. Another a belt buckle. He always made a point to vary the day he gave it to him, making sure to leave it somewhere he knew Ness would find it with a little note attached. It was nice, romantic in the jock' own way, which was saying a lot. It was more than difficult to do anything romantic with Red hanging around the apartment the majority of the time, but Lucas had always managed somehow.

Ness's favorite part of living with Lucas by far, though, had to be the midnight walks. After the first night in the park, they'd religiously started going on walks around the same time every night. It was never really something they both verbally agreed upon, it just kind of happened. To be honest, the following night after their first walk through the park, he had woken up around the same time on purpose, hoping his boyfriend would be up. Sure enough, he'd gone through the glass door, only to find Lucas leaning against the apartment wall, an expectant look on his face as if he'd been waiting for him. He'd held true to his word, though, never having lit up after their little talk.

The walks were nice, not only because it gave them some time alone with one another away from Red, but because the rest of the world was asleep. At midnight, there were barely any cars on the streets, and definitely no one in the park. It made everything seem so much more intimate. In those moments, he felt like he could tell Lucas anything, and he did. They talked about anything and everything, sometimes shit Ness had never thought he'd tell anyone, even Nana when they were good friends. Their walks didn't end like it had the first time, at least not to that extent. Most of the time, they'd just end up lying on the grass, with the raven haired boy's head on Lucas's chest, till either Ness fell asleep or the blonde insisted they go back so that the dozing off child could do just that. Their hair made a blending of bone, a satisfying dark contrasting to light like Auschwitz.

Yeah, so maybe Ness wasn't getting all that much sleep anymore because of their nice little walks, but it was so worth it. When it was just the two of them like that, walking around at midnight, Lucas would always have that genuine smile of his that the raven haired boy had only seen glimpses of before on his face. That was, without a doubt, what made everything worth it. He never quite looked as peaceful or at ease when Red was there with them back in the apartment, or when there were other people around.

Yup. Right now, his life seemed perfect. Honestly. Sometimes he forgot that he was living with Lucas because things had fallen through with his mother and not to mention his boyfriend had some creepy stalker following him around. Things just felt like he'd moved in with his boyfriend because he'd wanted to, because Lucas was the one person that made him happiest, and knew how to make him feel comfortable when he was insecure, or cheer him up when he'd had a crappy day. There really hadn't been any more weird stalking shit going on lately ever since he had moved in with Red and Lucas, but the latter still seemed to think whoever was behind all this, presumably his father, still wasn't finished with them yet.

He still couldn't believe this was his life, though. He would've been more than content to live out the rest of his life like this, with maybe the exception of Red being there. In a way, though, he'd kind of grown to like him. I mean, he was still an asshole, without a doubt, but Ness had come to like how protective he was of Lucas, even if that sometimes meant he was on the receiving end.

There was, however, one thing he really wanted to fix. Things with Nana had ended so horribly. He felt bad, because, after looking back on it, he had handled things wrong. He wouldn't trade what he had with Lucas for the world, but he had kind of tossed her to the sidelines when he had come into the picture.

 _Buzz. Buzz._

Reaching into his pocket, Ness pulled out his cell phone. He really didn't get many texts anymore, seeing as he lived with Lucas so they really didn't have a use for texting and him and Nana still weren't talking.

 _Hey, It's Nana. I tried calling your house… and your mom told me what happened. You should have told me! I mean, I know we're fighting and all, but still! Ness, you know I'm always here for you, no matter what. So I guess this means you're living with Lucas now. We've got a lot to catch up on. So I'll be there in ten. Don't worry, he already gave me directions._

Ness glanced across the dinner table at the jock, who had a more than suspicious smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"You set this up, didn't you?" he asked, his voice ebbing with suspicion.

Lucas tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Nathaniel." The look on his face, though, said exactly the opposite.

"You do realize I can pretty much tell when you're lying to me by now, right? I mean, I'm practically around you 24/7."

The blonde chuckled, taking another bite of the lasagna Ness had made. Yeah. _He'd_ actually made it, with Lucas's assistance of course. Still, though. Only a month ago he hadn't been able to cook macaroni without burning it to shit.

"Well, then, I suppose I'm going to have to start being honest with you."

Ness snorted, rolling his eyes and flashing him a toothy grin. "Yeah. Whatever. Seriously, though. Thanks for this. I mean, I know-"

"Hey, you two fuckers want to fill me in on what the hell is going on." Red interjected, banging his fist on the dinning room table to get their attention.

"Ah, my brother, quite the poet," Lucas drawled, glancing over at his older sibling. "Nathaniel is having a guest over. In fact, I do believe you know her. Nana, the girl you tried to rape. I do expect that when she comes over, you provide her with a full apology, Red, and make her feel as comfortable as possible. She's aware that you will be here, and I had to promise her that I'd be with you at all times to ensure nothing similar to your last encounter with her transpires."

The mahogany haired bully cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly in his seat and glancing around.

"I, uh, I don't think having her over is a good idea. I mean, we've got… homework to do… and shit to clean up."

Lucas's eyes narrowed, suspicion marring his features. "This is not open for discussion, Red. Nana is coming over. You will give her the apology you owe her and behave cordially during her stay. Understood?"

Red shot his brother a nasty glare, cursing out loud and grabbing his dinner plate . "Whatever. Don't expect me to be chatty or some other shit. "

The blonde averted his gaze back to Ness, raising an eyebrow. "Well, this should be rather interesting."

Yeah. Interesting as in a disaster waiting to happen.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Ness could barely make out the sight of a hot pink slug bug parked in the apartment complex through the living room window. Yup. It was definitely Nana. And, as was accustom for her, she'd arrived late. Some things really never did change.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his nerves, glancing at Lucas one more time for assurance, who'd taken a seat on the living room couch.

"Don't worry, Nathaniel. She misses you just as much as you've missed her. Unfortunately, she's also just as stubborn, which is why my intervening was rather necessary."

Ness nodded, taking another deep breath before opening the door.

"Ness!" Amber let out a loud, shrill noise, launching herself at him the second the door flew upon. He stumbled back a few steps, the breath completely knocked out of him as he tried to remain upright.

"Hi… Nana." he managed to breathe out, barely able to breathe under her death-grip of a hug.

After a few seconds, though, she stepped back, obviously realizing she was choking the hell out of him.

"Sorry. I'm just sooo excited to see you. I mean, we haven't spoken in such a long time and you're all grown up and stuff, on your own living with your boyfriend, and I'm so proud of you for finally coming out to your mom! I still can't believe you didn't tell me she kicked you out, though!"

He nodded, realizing how much he'd missed her as he pulled her into the apartment. "I know. I know. I should have called you or something, but, like, I dunno… after the fight and everything, I just didn't want it to seem like I only talked to you when I needed your support or some shit."

She rolled her eyes, resting her hands on her hips. "Oh, c'mon, Ness! We've been friend for forever. And, yeah, I know I overreacted to your relationship with Lucas. You know how jealous I can get, though. I'd just never had to share you before, and I just didn't know how to handle it."

Glancing over at the couch, Nana waved at the blonde cheerfully, obviously having already talked to him about all this. "I should've just been happy for you both. And I'm sorry."

"No, Nan, I'm sorry. I mean, I was the one who basically ignored you and then was almost responsible for you getting raped."

Nana wrinkled her nose slightly, glancing around until her eyes locked on Red's, who'd just entered from the bedroom.

"Well, well, look who it is. So I hear you have something to tell me."

The male's jaw tightened as he regarded her with an odd wariness. "Yeah, I'm sorry, alright. I shouldn't have tried to rape you or whatever. It's not like I even did anything, though."

"Yeah, but you sure as hell would have if Shulk hadn't intervened!"

Ness froze, his eyes locking with Lucas's for a second before turning back to Nana. "Wait, what? Shulk was there?"

"Yeah," Nana said, still pegging Red with a hard glare. "He's the one who saved me… actually, he's kind of also the reason I got into the fight with you. I mean, he kind of tried to get me to convince you to dump Lucas after he played hero and all."

Lucas stood up, his whole body tense as he took a few steps towards his brother, his tone hard.

"Red. Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"I did," the defensive boy barked defensively, crossing his arms in front of him. "I told you about how I almost raped her, and how it was a mistake."

"But you neglected to mention the fact that our little construction worker friend was involved. Tell me, Red, why is that?"

His older brother suddenly averted his gaze to the ground, his eyes shifting nervously back and forth as he swallowed hard. "I, uh, well… I mean, I know the guy."

"How?" Ness carefully took a few steps towards his boyfriend, wrapping his hand around Lucas's. He wasn't sure what the blonde was hinting at, but whatever it was was making him mad as hell.

"We, ah, we met when I stopped by Mac's Diner to visit Ness."

Ness flinched at the memory, remembering how Red had broken his finger and Shulk had come to break up the little spat.

Lucas's eyes flared, his words dripping with suspicion as he spoke. "Do not mock me, brother. You simply meeting Shulk in a chance occurrence would not explain why you chose to omit the fact that he was present during your attempted rape."

Red cursed under his breath, obviously cornered in whatever he'd been trying to hide. "Fine, alright. Look, before I was cool with you dating Ness and all that shit… I, uh, I kind of teamed up with him or whatever. See… that night, when he took Ness to that party… he, uh, he actually pretended to have sex with him. I just… I gave him some date rape drugs so he could slip them into Ness's drink and fake the rest-"

In a split second, Lucas had easily slipped out of his boyfriend's grasp, flying across the room and tackling his brother. In a flash, the two were rolling around on the ground, beating the shit out of one another. Red had size, but Lucas was… more than angry. He didn't even look like he could feel the punches Red was throwing, his movements unfaltering as his fist made contact with his brother's face.

"Lucas!" Ness lunged forward, trying to pull the two of them apart. This was bad. This was so fucking bad. He'd never seen him this angry. Ever. Not even when he'd had his apartment trashed, and all his Mom's books had been torn to shit.

Trying to pull them off of one another, he couldn't even get them to budge. Oh. Shit. This was so not good.

"Nana! Help!" Ness yelled over his shoulder. A second later, she was at his side, grunting and pulling with him as he tried to separate the two… well, more so just pull Lucas off of Red. Between the two of them and the fact that the boy was pretty much just defending himself instead of actually fighting back, they were able to pull Lucas off of him, but just barely.

"How the hell could you do this! How could you fucking do this to him, knowing how much he means to me?" Lucas sounded torn, a mixture of immense pain and hatred in his voice. His whole body was shaking, itching to make Red pay for what he had done.

For the first time, Ness realized he'd never really heard him cuss, not like this. Because cussing meant a lack of control, which meant losing your composure. And Lucas had only ever lost his composure one other time. Red didn't say a word, his eyes never leaving his brother's as he swallowed hard.

"You know how happy he makes me, how different things are now than before I was with him! We've been living here with you for over a fucking month, Red! And you never once said a thing about this!"

Slowly, the blonde's breathing slowed, his body relaxing, though only slightly. When he spoke, though, his words were laced with venom, pure hatred in his eyes as he regarded his brother.

"I swear, if you even look at him the wrong way, I'll make sure he's the last thing you ever see. You… you are not my brother."

For the first time, Red looked shocked, his face going lax.

"Lucas, please, you can't-"

"I just did." he straightened himself, turning slightly to Ness and Nana who were still clinging to him like he might hurl himself at Red again.

"Both of you, go wait in the car, now."

Fuck no. Ness was so not leaving Lucas alone with his brother after all that had just gone down. He was already in deep shit for murdering his mother. He didn't need to add killing the brown haired boy to the list.

"No fucking way, Lucas. You're too angry right now to-"

"I don't want you around him."

Ness noted that Lucas had stepped between the two of them, physically putting himself in between the raven haired boy and Red.

"Lucas, he's not going to hurt me with you around."

"This is not up for debate, Nathaniel."

"Then at least let Nana stay here with you."

"No. I want her with you."

Gah. He was so not going to even get an inch of leeway here. Lucas had gone into overprotective boyfriend mode, and wasn't settling for anything less than what he deemed to be safe for Ness.

"Fine," he agreed, cursing under his breath, "But if you're not out in five, I'm coming back in." Hesitating slightly, he squeezed Lucas's hand, giving him one last parting glance. "Please... Luke, just don't do anything stupid, alright."

The blonde nodded, his features statuesque as he turned his gaze back to his brother.

Grabbing Nana's hands, Ness pulled her towards the door, leading her out to Lucas's black corvette. This was so crazy. So… he hadn't had sex with Shulk after all. The guy had just slipped him the date-rape drug and convinced him he had… which was… well, just freakin' screwy. He had to admit, though, it was better than the alternative possibility that he'd actually slept with the construction worker… which meant he was still a virgin. It also meant, though, that Lucas's brother had betrayed them. That fucking bastard! He wasn't so much mad at the guy for his sake as he was for his boyfriend's. That guy was pretty much the only family Lucas had left, and he'd just gone and betrayed him like it was nothing.

Ness had trusted him, too, slept in the same bed with him, looked across the diner table at the guy ever night as they'd eaten meals together.

And Shulk… he hadn't thought the blonde man was even capable of something like this. He was going to have to pay him a visit… soon.

And where the hell were they going to live now? Lucas had more than enough money for the both of them to rent an apartment, but with the whole stalking thing unresolved, safety in numbers was still the best way to go after how easily the stalker had broken into the jock's last apartment.

He was hoping Lucas wouldn't try and cash in on the promise he'd made for Ness to apologize to his mom, at least not right now. He didn't want to go back to living with his mom… alright, well maybe it was more just that he wanted to live with Lucas. But still.

"Wow, that was crazy, Ness! I can't believe Red did that! No, wait, second thought, I can. I mean, he _did_ almost try and rape me. Still, though, that's pretty complex thinking for him. I mean, seeing as he's pretty much a freakin' idiot and all. And him and Shulk, wow, I never would've guessed. Shulk just seemed so… innocent, ya know? I guess this means he was probably just playing me when he told me you and Lucas weren't good for each other."

"Yeah..." Ness mumbled distractedly, his mind back on whatever was going down in the apartment between Lucas and Red. Crap, well didn't his complicate things a hell of a lot more. No doubt Lucas had explained the reason behind him and Ness living with Red to be because they were friends. Hopefully Nana wouldn't put two and two together and realize the blonde and the bully were brothers, not friends.

"It was weird, though. He actually looked guilty for doing what he did to you. Which is pretty much impossible, seeing as it is Red. But still… hey, Ness?"

He turned around slightly in his seat, trying to focus on what Nana was saying. "Yeah?"

"So, this means you guys aren't going to be living here anymore, right?"

"Well, probably. I can't exactly see Lucas wanting to live with him after what just went down."

A sly smile slowly spread across his friend's face. "Good! Well, I mean, it's not good that Red did what he did, but you're still a virgin! Unless you and Lucas…"

"No!" he cut in, flushing furiously. "I mean, of course we did do some stuff… but not that."

"Anyways, I was thinking. Why don't you guys come live with me, at least for the weekend. You know my parents pretty much adore you since they've known you since you were in diapers, and we can just tell them Lucas is like a mutual friend of ours."

Ness opened his mouth, about to respond when he heard a door slam shut. Snapping his head to the right, he could hear Nana grow quiet beside him as Lucas slowly made his way down the walkway to the car, a few suitcases in each hand.

The look on his face totally killed Ness, made him just want to pull him into a hug and tell him everything was alright till he was sure he felt better. Except Nana was there. So that really wasn't an option. Things would just be awkward then.

Lucas was quiet as he put the suitcases into the trunk and then got into the driver's seat, no one saying a word as he pulled the car out of the parking lot.

After a few minutes, though, Nana spoke up, her words coming out in a jumbled blur as if holding them in for as long as she had had just about killed her.

"So, what happened?"

Lucas's voice was monotone and flat when he spoke, his steely gaze directed at the road.

"Nothing that you didn't see before you left."

God. This was all just… so fucked up. He didn't want Lucas to lose the only family he had left because of him.

"Luke, we can still live with Red-"

"No, Nathaniel. I will _never_ allow you to be in the same room with him again, aside from when law requires it at school. That would not be a wise choice, if for nothing more than his personal safety." Yeah. Lucas was still definitely mad as hell, even if his voice was steady and he looked composed. He would probably still try and choke the life out of Red if he had to be under the same roof as the guy for more than a few minutes.

"Well..." Nana chimed in, her voice awkwardly chipper given what had just happened. "I was thinking maybe you and Ness could live with me-"

"Actually, I have some business to attend to. It does, however, sound like an excellent idea for Nathaniel to live with you for a few days. It seems I have something to see to out of state, so it would be good for him to have someone to watch over him while I'm gone."

What the fuck was he talking about? Ness was dying to ask him, but he could tell by Lucas's tone of voice that this wasn't something he wanted discussed in front of Nana.

He stayed quiet as she gave Lucas directions to her house, and they made the twenty-five minute drive there. Finally, though, when they arrived, the three of them got out of the car and Ness turned to Nana.

"Hey, uh, do you think I could have, like, five minutes alone with my boyfriend."

"Yeah. Sure," she said, her eyes drifting suspiciously from Ness to Lucas. "Just fill me in later." she whispered, winking at him before going into her house to probably cook up some lie about how Ness's parents were out of town and wanted him to stay over for a few days.

"So…" the raven haired boy said, turning to his boyfriend and taking the jock's hands in his.

Lucas was quiet for a minute, his eyes studying Ness's. Finally, though, he blinked, twice… wait… was he actually… Ness could see Lucas's eyes well up, before a single tear slid down his cheek.

"Luke. I'm so sorry, I know Red's your bother and you care a lot about him. We can go back if-"

"No," the blonde's voice was hoarse as he closed his eyes, swallowing hard before opening them. "I failed you. I failed to protect you, from my own brother at that. I allowed him to live under the same roof as you for over a month, put you in danger the whole time-"

"Lucas, you had no way of knowing-"

"I should have know, Nathaniel. He is my brother. I should have realized something wasn't right."

"Darling, nothing happened, though. I mean, he never even laid a hand on me-"

"That's not the point. I'm supposed to protect you. And I didn't."

"Lucas, c'mon, that's not true-"

"If you weren't involved with me, none of this would have happened."

God. He was taking this so hard. Really, Ness was almost relieved to know Red and Shulk had only slipped him the date rape drug. After all, that meant he was still a virgin.

Squeezing Lucas's hands gently, Ness did his best to comfort him. "Luke, it's really a small price to pay for being with you. I mean, you're amazing-"

"Yeah," the blonde chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Amazing enough to put my boyfriend in danger, and let him sleep in the same bed as someone responsible for drugging him."

"Lucas-"

"No, Nathaniel. Please, don't. Do not try and act like what I have allowed to transpire is acceptable. Because it is not."

He paused for a minute, taking a deep breath to compose himself before continuing. The pain and guilt in his eyes was eating a hole in Ness's heart, it really was. And right now he would have given just about anything to make it go away.

"Red gave me this before I left." Lucas tensed up slightly, digging a hand into his pocket before pulling out a white piece of paper. Ness's brows furrowed in confusion as he took the paper in his hand.

What the hell? It was… Lucas's father's death certificate.

"Look at the date."

Ness did as he was told, slowly feeling the blood drain from his face. Holy. Shit. According to this, Lucas's father had died five months ago. Which meant he couldn't possibly be behind all this stalking shit.

"I was wrong. I've been wrong this whole time. This person… whoever it is, wasn't my father. But they had to have known him, since they know what they do. There was another letter that came with this in the mail, saying my father's will is going to be read in couple days. Apparently, I'm mentioned in the will… Nathaniel, I have to go. There is a strong chance that the person, whoever it is, will be there as well."

Gah. Lucas, alone, in a different state, with a stalker. Ness so didn't like the sound of that.

"Then let me come with you-"

"No, Nathaniel. It's not safe. I have to do this alone… I have already put you in danger once. I will not allow it to happen again. Nathaniel, you are the most important thing to me on this Earth, and I will do whatever is necessary to protect you. "

Oh, crap. Ness so didn't like the way his last words had an ominous ring to them.

"You're not the only one that wants to protect your boyfriend, Lucas." he snapped, crossing his arms in front of him.

A small smirk tugged at the corners of Lucas's lips as he pulled Ness towards him slightly, holding him in a loose embrace.

"You want to protect me?"

"Well, no shit! I mean, if something were to happen to you, Lucas…" the raven haired boy's voice drifted off as realized he couldn't picture life without him. He really couldn't.

"Nathaniel, I swear to you I will come back to you in one piece. Someone has to look after you, right?"

Ness did his best to fake glare at Lucas, despite the smile already spreading across his face. "Yeah. Whatever."

"Well…" the jock mused, his tone slightly lighter than before. "You do have my heart, Nathaniel. How about you protect that for me while I'm gone?"

The raven haired boy snorted, pushing the blonde's chest lightly as he gave in to the smile tugging at his lips. "You're so freakin' cheesy. You know that?"

Lucas chuckled, moving his hands to Ness's back as he pulled him closer. "Perhaps, but I'm only being honest."

 _I love you_

Ness froze for a second as he heard the words echo in his mind. The truth in them, the fact that he knew without a doubt that he did, in fact, love Lucas, scared the hell out of him. Honestly, he'd been suspecting as much for a couple of weeks now. Between the silly grin he got every time he was around the blonde and the fact that he'd start singing in the shower for no apparent reason, it hadn't been all that diificult to figuer out. He could already feel an aching in his chest at the prospect of being away from him for even just a few hours, let alone a couple days.

He would do as Lucas had requested and keep his heart safe while he was gone, because hey, if he was being honest, the jock had become a part of him somewhere between the study dates at the coffee shop and midnight walks through the park, and nobody or nothing could change that. Ever.

* * *

 **There we are guys... like wow. So, we have it all tumbling down. Our illustrious stalker is not Lucas's father... meaning he won't appear in the story whatsoever! I know it is a sudden slap to the face, but we've got seven chapters left in this story to figure it all out. Red will be back, and perhaps for the better you'll hope. Unless a certain blonde construction worker you all hate makes a sudden reappearance soon... hmm... *smirk* Oh, and guess what? We've breached 100k! This story is longer than one hundred thousand words. How awesome is that?**

 **YuukixMitsuru- Uh oh dude, looks like you're last this time. Heh, no problem. That's okay, just let me know if you are. I was getting really scared for a moment there when you weren't responding to my PM's for like 22 hours or something, but it's all good. Haha, glad you thought so. I know it wasn't the full thing (I need to check my notes if they even _do_ it full out, actually), but it's okay. I know I'm savage. My stats reflect that!**

 **Ender2412- There you go! Now you'll never miss an update my friend. I bet you're freaking out now, aren't you? I can imagine so, it's a lot to take in. But that's okay, it's perfectly okay. Lol, last chapter was hot too, don't get me wrong my friend. I also was kidding with the whole incest thing. I haven't written something like that yet, and I don't feel that I'll be starting now anytime soon. Red got punched in the face. Good enough? And hey, you got your golden wish! Nana's back! And for good reasons! Wait... why did the rating of the story change your language? It should've been like that from the very beginning, man! Lol at Shulk.**

 **Mr. Squirtle6- No problem, dude. Read and review whenever you like, I'll be sure to respond to it given what chapter it is. Thanks, glad you liked it. I'm slowly getting better at more intimate moments, but I try characterization within that section, as Ness went through a hell of a lot in that part. Then you have today... and everyone besides Nana and Shulk have some catching up in the world to do. Well, one thing is resolved, another not. Good luck with that.**

 **Ninten64- It's going down, my friend! This story is officially going down the drains! That would've been fun, Red having insomnia or something and going through the park to see their little friskiness. And you gotta love Lucas in this. He's loving, protective, smart, snarky, and so much more. Gotta love it! *insert McDonalds theme***

 **Derpyburp- *high fives back* Yeah, we're at 99k. Then one tick over and we're at 100k! Actually, somewhere like 108k-109k if I do the math correctly. Or I may be way off. Whatever. Haha, clean up the blood friend. We don't want to have a horror / crime scene just displayed out for the world to see. Bleed all you want... privately.**

 **WinWin01- Thanks! And you did not just go there. You must be crucified for that.**

 **mother-sins- Annoying? You aren't annoying. I love your reviews! Your energy is boundless and reminds me of another friend reviewer of mine named DatLittleStar. She's a beautiful bundle of energy. Ness x Lucas will always be cute, but it's when you make them older where we see the hotness come into play, don't deny it. I won't lie here, but I have never found anyone smoking to be a hot thing, given someone important in my family smokes and that tears me up inside, but that doesn't matter. Hope this chapter satisfied your hunger!**

 **So... that's all for now my friends. Chapter #33: Fix You. Except, who got fixed exactly, and in what way? Sound off in the reviews below, for you know I'd love to respond! You all are amazing reviewers and readers and just fans of my work in general. I hope to see you around for more of my stories in the future, I bet you'll be loving it! Our next chapter, #34, will be out _next_ Friday, so the... 22nd of April. We'll have another update for the month of April as well, and then it'll be into the May month. I'm super excited. Have a great day everyone, love you guys!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	34. Chapter 34: Dangerous Games in the Dark

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a brand new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #34: Dangerous Games in the Dark. It's time a certain someone shows up and messes everything up, right. I know it's going to not be shocking or whatever unless you all completely forgot... but it's okay. Let's get those hearts torn, right? So, last chapter, we had everything come out and be explained- Ness and Lucas left Red's for the latter of the three explained everything he could. Not good. Plus Lucas is gone, things can clearly not be good with him away. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Ness had missed Nana. He really had. But living these past few days with her while Lucas was gone had only made his reasons for loving living with Erik all the more obvious.

She woke him up by jumping on his bed, often stepping on a few of his fingers. With the blonde, he woke up to a few lazy kisses, slowly easing him into his day. She always hogged the shower, so that by the time it was his turn the water was ice cold. Lucas insisted on letting him shower first. Nana's breath always smelled like Dorito's and bubble gum, the jock's like peppermint (he still chewed the cinnamon gum, even after he'd stopped smoking). The differences were endless. Really.

Most of all, though, he missed his midnight walks with Lucas. Every night, he'd found himself lying wide awake, staring at the clock around the time he and his gorgeous boyfriend would normally be walking through the park. It had only been a few days, and he already missed him like hell. The aching in his chest refused to be satisfied by the meager texts he received from him, checking on him every few hours to make sure he was alright.

"Ness."

The raven haired boy snapped his head up, slamming the notebook shut that he'd just spent the last fifteen minutes doodling Lucas's name in with big, loopy hearts. Meeting Red's pained gaze, he recoiled slightly. He'd done his best to avoid the old bully these past few days, but there was only so long you could manage that when you shared the same class with someone.

"What the hell do you want, Red?"

He knew he probably should have been at least a little scared of the guy, seeing as he had just admitted to playing a role in drugging him, but his anger at the fact that he'd betrayed Lucas far outweighed any fear he might be feeling.

"Ness, c'mon. Don't be like that. I fucked up, I know. But your boyfriend is still my brother, whether he wants to be or not… just talk to him for me and-"

"No way. I'm not going to try and convince Lucas to let a piece of shit like you back into his life. You've already hurt him once."

"I was trying to protect him. You know I was. And you know I wouldn't even be coming to you like this unless I was desperate."

He bit down on his lip, feeling totally stuck between a rock and a hard place. Yeah, the guy had done something that was messed up and all kinds of screwy, but he was still the blonde's brother. And, despite the fact that he had handled things totally wrong, in the end he'd still been trying to look out for Lucas's best interests. And he had to respect that.

"You need to understand something, Red. Lucas and I, we aren't some sort of fling or phase or whatever. We're for real-"

"I know. I mean, at first, yeah, that's what I thought, but after all that's happened, I get that now. I screwed up. I made a mistake. But I care about him. And whether he wants to admit it right now or not, he needs me. Now that we have no fucking clue who knows Lucas's secret, he needs someone around to watch his back that he doesn't have to worry about looking out for."

Ness felt a pang of guilt pulse through him, his body tensing slightly. It killed him that he knew, if it ever did come down to an altercation, he'd be next to useless in helping the blonde.

"You know, I'd try my hardest, though. I mean, even if I knew I was going to lose and all, I'd still-"

"I know," Red's features softened for a split second, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes that Ness hadn't thought the guy was capable of. "I don't get it, you two's relationship. I really don't. But that doesn't really matter. Not anymore. You make my brother happy. Like no one else can. And really, even if he's safe or whatever, if he's not happy none of it really matters."

Holy shit. If the young waiter hadn't known better, he could've sworn his least favorite person on the planet actually looked remorseful. His eyes were red and swollen, as if he hadn't slept in a few days. He'd probably been killing himself over this Lucas shit, seeing as his only little brother had pretty much gone off by himself to go after some stalker that could very well be dangerous.

"So, ah… here," Red awkwardly reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, tossing it towards Ness. "It's my number. Call me if you're in trouble or some shit. Lucas really would kill me if something ended up happening to your ass while he was gone."

"... Uhhh… thanks." This was so weird, considering it was coming from him. The whole denouncing him as his brother thing must've finally hit home for the guy.

"So you'll talk to him?"

"When he gets back, yeah, I'll try. I'm not making any promises, though."

Red's shoulders sagged, his whole body relaxing slightly as he let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright. Good. And one last thing."

"Yeah?"

"Now that you guys are actually serious and shit, if you break my brother's heart, I'll make you wish you'd never been born. "

Ness couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head at the guy. He was hardcore to a fault when it came to Lucas's safety.

Not that it was a bad thing or anything, the raven haired boy snickered to himself while bending over a quadratic problem.

* * *

Well, at least one thing hadn't changed in Lucas's absence. Thursdays at Mac's Diner were still boring as hell. At least before, though, he'd been able to text his boyfriend to make the time pass quicker. The jock hadn't explained to him exactly where he'd gone, but wherever it was, he seemed to have trouble getting phone service. Which meant limited texts. And so far no actual phone conversations.

God, he missed him.

"Ness! C'mon, I'm not paying you to just stand around. Table 3, now!" His boss barked, motion with his hand towards table three.

He let out a bored sigh, slowly turning his head and-

Well, well, speak of the devil. Look who it was. Sitting there, slightly slouched back in his seat with an unassuming look on his face was none other than Shulk. Ness needed to have a conversation with him after learning the nice little bit of information he had a few days ago anyways.

Slowly approaching him, he made a point to keep a few feet between him and the construction worker, clearing his throat to get the guy's attention.

"Hey Ness. What's up-"

"Oh please. Don't fucking 'hey Ness' me. I know what you did, Shulk. Red told me. You're... you're sick sick, you know that. I mean, why the hell did you even do that shit?"

The blonde's mouth twitched slightly, though the rest of his features stayed the same as he stared up at Ness.

"Buddy, listen… I mean, that guy, that damn jock, he's not good for you. And I knew that-"

"How the hell could you know that? You don't even know him! And your totally wrong, he is good for me. He makes me happy, and I make him happy, and if you were a true friend you would've just been happy for me instead of concocting some sick plan like this."

"Ness, be practical about this. I mean, I was just trying to help you-"

"Well, you know how you can help me? By getting your ass out of here and leaving me and Lucas alone. Then maybe, just maybe, I won't let my boyfriend bash your face in when he gets back."

"Gets back?"

Ness cursed under his breath, realizing he'd probably just said something that would open Pandora's Box if he wasn't careful.

"It doesn't matter. Just leave, alright. I'm done with you, Shulk. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. Ever."

Shulk's features strained slightly, his grip tightening on the table for a second before he cleared his throat and stood up.

"Fine, whatever Ness. But even if you don't want me, Lucas still isn't good for you."

The waiter crossed his arms in front of him, tapping his foot impatiently and rolling his eyes till the adult turned and left.

How the hell would Shulk even know what the hell was good for him? Yeah, because getting drugged and brought to some party where there was alcohol was so much better for him than Lucas giving him a place to stay when his mother kicked him out for being gay and actually taking an interest in teaching him something productive like math or cooking. Stupid bastard. Shulk just needed to screw off and leave him and Lucas alone.

* * *

Three hours later, Ness sat slumped against the front of Mac's Diner, waiting for his ride to show up. Of course, Nana was late. He wasn't even sure if it was even physically possible for her to actually show up on time.

Checking his phone for the umpteenth time, he let out a slight sigh. No text from Lucas. Again.

 _Buzz. Buzz._

Ness jolted slightly, his phone ringing in his hand. Glancing down at his phone, he felt a wide smile spread across his face as he recognized the jock's number.

"Hey, sweetheart-"

"Nathaniel, where are you?" Lucas's voice was tense, completely strained and urgent. Something was definitely off.

"Umm, in front of Mac's Diner. Why? What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Go back inside, now."

"I can't, Lucas. They're closed. I'm just waiting for a ride from Nana. Why, what the hell is going on?"

"I was wrong. The stalker, he's not here with me. He's with you."

Ness flinched as he saw something move in the shadows, a tall figure slowly moving forward and stepping into the light.

"Shulk, fuck off. I already told you-"

Lucas's voice cut him off, his words coming out in a rush. "Nathaniel, get out of there, now."

Ness's brow's creased in confusion, puzzled by the panic in in his boyfriend's voice.

"Lucas, I know he drugged me, but it's over now and-"

In one sudden movement, the construction worker surged forward, snatching the phone from Ness's hand and pinning him against the wall. The raven haired boy inhaled sharply, the back of his head hitting the brick wall hard. Shulk looked different, somehow. His mouth was twisted into a menacing smirk, his eyes black slits, barely visible under the street lighting.

And holy crap. He was strong. He had Ness pinned to the wall with one hand, and even as the boy twisted in his grasp, he couldn't break free.

"Yes, hello Lucas," Shulk drawled, holding his captive's phone up to his ear. " I see you're having a nice little conversation without me. And if I've said it before, I'll say it again. You know how jealous I can get."

Ness froze, his face paling at Red's words. _You know how jealous I can get._ Holy shit. Those words, they were in the letter, the letter that the stalker had sent to Lucas.

Putting the boyfriend on speaker, the waiter felt his breath catch in his throat as he heard his boyfriend's voice on the other line.

"I swear, Shulk, if you fucking touch him, I will hunt you down like the dog you are. Nathaniel has nothing to do with this. This is between you and I. You want to come after me. Fine, I'm yours. But leave him out of this."

"Oh, come on now, Luke. We both know things aren't that simple. If I'd wanted to, I could've just broken into your apartment years ago and shot you while you slept. No, we both know this is about so much more than that."

What the hell was he talking about? What in the hell was-

"Lucas, Nathaniel looks rather confused. I think you might want to fill him in on what's going on. I wonder, have you told him about your dear mother, or your father, for that matter."

Ness could hear the blonde curse over the phone.

"Shulk, Nathaniel is innocent-"

"Yes, I know that. That's why this is going to be so much more rewarding. Now…" Shulk reached into his pocket with his free hand, pulling out- holy shit.

Holy fucking shit. He had a gun.

In one swift movement, he moved the gun to the hand he'd been using to pin Ness, pressing the tip to his head and holding the phone between them with his other hand. Cocking the gun, he made sure to hold the phone up to it so Lucas would be able to hear.

"You hear that, Lucas? If you don't speak up and do as I fucking say, I'm going to blow your boyfriend's brains out right here at point blank range and splatter them all over the front of Mac's Diner."

Ness could hear the jock inhale sharply, his words shaky when he spoke. "Nathaniel, Shulk's not who you think he is. I didn't realize it either, not until I came here. I went through my father's belongings, the ones the will made no mention of. I found these files. He'd kept files of every boy he'd ever treated and raped. One of them caught my attention, because of the boy's name. Shulk was one of the boys my father raped, Nathaniel. The same one my mother walked in on. He was seventeen at the time. My father had been raping him since he was nine. I don't know how I didn't put the pieces together sooner. Everything makes sense. The timeline lines up. He's twenty-eight now. I'm eighteen. The ten year difference is there. I was seven when it all happened. He was seventeen. I believe he was responsible for my father's death, but that was never enough, not for him. He wanted to be able to take the same innocence away from my father that my father had stolen from him so long ago, rob him of the future he felt he'd been robbed of because of his actions. Except, by then, my father's life had already gone to hell. There wasn't an ounce of innocence left in him, and he was already dying."

Ness's mind broke into panic. " _Oh shit... oh shit._ "

"So he settled for the second best thing. He came after me. For years, he watched me. He must've picked up on how I'd look at you, how for so long I kept myself at a distance and watched you afar because of my secret. At some point, he decided to become close to you, because he knew you were the one thing I wanted most."

"You're sick..." the boy being pinned to the wall spat out.

Shulk smiled sickly. "I know, my friend."

"He must've been thrilled when I finally decided to act and began forming a relationship with you. Because you were just one more thing that he could take away from me when he finally decided to act. He knew Red was my brother, undoubtedly through conversations he'd had with my father when he was younger, and took advantage of it. At some point, he broke into Red's apartment to get the proof he needed to prove I killed my mother. He never planned to use it, he just needed it to keep me in check, keep me under control just in case. He doesn't want to hand me over to the state and let them dish out my punishment, he wants to do it himself. But if it comes down to it, he'll settle." Lucas continued on explaining.

Shulk made a triumphant smile. "How did I do it, dear blonde jock?"

"He used my brother's hate for you to his advantage, forming an alliance with him, but concocting a reason for Red to keep it a secret," Lucas inhaled. "Yeah, he probably did want to drug you and make you think the two of you had had sex, but only because he wanted you to hurt me by choosing him. When that didn't work, he began to make his presence more prominent, trashing my car, and then my apartment and my mother's books. Finally, he tried to get Nana to convince you to end things. Then he stopped, completely stepped back and waited."

The construction worker shifted the gun. "And?" he prompted.

Lucas swore. "He realized there would be only one thing more rewarding than making you reject me, and that was taking you from me himself. He wanted to wait till we were closer, and then he'd act," There was a sharp intake of breath. He's been planning this for years. This isn't about killing me or you. He wants to see me suffer, like he did for so long. He wants me to pay for my father's crimes-"

"We both know very well, Lucas, that it should have been you, not me, that fell victim to your father. You were his son, you were younger. If he wanted to rape someone, it should have been you. But it wasn't. It was me. And now it's only fair that karma give you your fair share of suffering, like I had to deal with so long ago. You know how I knew about your mother? Even after your father left, he still kept in touch with me, tried to keep his hold on me. He wrote me letters. He told me about the message he got from your mother, that you were going to kill her. That's how I knew."

"You bastard..." Ness muttered.

Shulk's left ear twitched. "I have to say, though, very well played on your part. I didn't think you'd make the connection, not until Ness mentioned you had left. I knew there was only one thing that would make you leave him, and that was if you felt you were protecting him. You thought, by leaving, you'd figure out who was stalking you and take care of them yourself before they had a chance to hurt him or interfere even more in your lives. It's too bad you didn't realize you were leaving him alone with the very person you were trying to protect him from."

"Ness-" Lucas started, betrayal evident in his voice.

"Such a pity, too. I had so much fun playing with you, Lucas. But alas, all good things must come to an end at some point, and now it's time to pay up. Your father took from me what was most important- my life, my future. And now I'm going to do the same to you. I'm going to make you listen as I rape your boyfriend and then put a bullet in his head-"

"You fucking touch him and I'll rip every limb from your body and make sure you're conscious when I do it, Shulk! You want to mess with me, go ahead. I'll fucking let you do whatever the hell you want. But you don't touch him."

For the first time in the whole four years he'd known the jock, Ness realized he'd never seen Lucas genuinely scared, not till now. He'd never heard him desperate, pleasing like this.

"Yes, it's not such a nice feeling to be helpless, is it Lucas? To realize your life is about to be taken from you and not have any way of changing it."

Ness could feel his whole body begin to tremble as he flattened himself against the brick wall. His eyes were tearing up, despite his best efforts to stop the show of weakness. He was scared to death. More scared than he'd ever been in his life. But it wasn't because he was afraid of dying. Yeah, he wasn't all that fond of the idea of a bullet lodged in his head, but what scared him more than anything else was the thought of never seeing Lucas again.

Gah. He wished he'd said the three words he'd been thinking, told the blonde that he loved him before he left. Now he'd never know. And this thing, it was totally going to fuck him up. He'd been a mess when he'd just though that it was his fault Ness had gotten drugged. God damn it. Shulk knew what he was doing, he was killing Lucas without even laying a hand on him. Which was the worst kind of death, really.

"Shulk, please. Please don't do this. I'll come back. I'll let you do whatever you want with me. You have my word. Just please, don't hurt him." Lucas's voice sounded strained, broken as he pleaded with the construction worker. It was obvious, though, from the look on Shulk's face that he had no intentions of bargaining or cutting a deal. He'd made his choice.

Ness felt utterly powerless to do anything as Shulk held the gun to his head with one hand, his other hand going to his pants with the other hand. He wouldn't cry, or gasp, or make a sound. He could at least spare Lucas that much. At least he wasn't here to see it.

Eyeing his old friend's gun, the raven haired boy knew he'd end up getting himself shot if he tried anything. But, Shulk was going to shoot him after he was through raping him, right? Why force Lucas to listen to this sick bastard raping him? Even if Nana showed up, god for bid, she'd probably just end up making the whole thing a double homicide. Taking a deep breath, Ness closed his eyes, preparing himself to make his move.

He couldn't believe things were going to end this way. Shulk was going to shoot him, and he was going to die alone, in this alley. He would never see Lucas again. Never hold his hand, or remember what it looked like when his boyfriend lit up a room with one of his genuine smiles. He'd never look into his beautiful blue eyes, and get weak in the knees while his stomach filled with butterflies.

Lucas would have to finish high school alone, have to live with the memory of what it sounded like when Shulk shot him and he drew his final breaths. This was going to fuck him up, no matter how quiet Ness tried to be, because even if he didn't hear a thing, he'd know what was happening on the other line. He'd blame himself. And Christ, he was already living with his mother's death on his shoulders. The weight of his too might just be enough to push him over the edge.

For a split second, Ness considered trying to yell 'I love you' through the phone to Lucas before reconsidering. In a few minutes, he was going to be dead. Telling the blonde he loved him was only going to make losing him harder. And that was the last thing he wanted, to make all this harder for his boyfriend.

Ness knew the only thing that would be worse than this was if he were in Lucas's position, and had to go on while the person he loved had been murdered. He couldn't do it. He knew he wasn't strong enough. Lucas was, though. He hoped to God he was. Because, honestly, he could deal with dying. He could deal with anything Shulk might do to him. But he couldn't deal with what this would probably end up doing to Lucas. That wasn't something he could handle.

"Any last words?" Shulk whispered, a menacing smirk on his face as he leaned in closer to Ness.

The young waiter could barely hear his voice, though. No, he was focused on the sound of Lucas's ragged breathing, the only sound coming through the phone. He'd just spent the last few minutes begging Shulk not to kill him, and he'd just heard his enemy say the three words that basically destroyed any hope he might have had of swaying him.

Forcing himself to speak, Ness choked out the only thing he could that wouldn't make all this even harder.

"I'm sorry, Lucas."

A trigger went off.

* * *

 **Well... shit. That's tragic, right? I'm beyond thrilled to have gotten this far- we've never reached this territory of the story before. How awesome is that?! It's amazing guys! But... yeah... talk about heartbreaking. And it isn't even the finale yet- we've got more to slough through. Will it be with just Lucas and Red dealing with Shulk's shit... Shulk's background... Nana's escapades? I guess you'll have to continue reading to find out.**

 **mother-sins- Well... that heart is now probably dead, my friend. I think I just killed your freaking soul instead, right? I think it is safe to say that there are moments in fiction when you can't believe something just happened, something so specific that wrenches everything out of you. Ness's tragedies, Lucas's inner demons, Shulk's travesties, Red's betrayals and struggles... and Nana's indecisiveness all affects the story in some way. I bet that you, in a million years ever thought that this would happen.**

 **Ender2412- It's alright, don't worry. I'm just glad to have you reading! It means so much to me, thanks man. Yeah, one door closed, and then another opened. I think I destroyed you too... destroyed all of you. And clearly it isn't Claus here that's our stalker. Did you never expect it to be him from the very beginning? Everything fit. Everything.**

 **WinWin01- Lucas, obviously. Everyone loves him this way, Ness can get kinda annoying.**

 **Ninten64- Was this enough for you, lol. Now we have two PK shitstorms happening in the world, friend. Uh... the word is 'revealed' not reveled, which is something else. To revel in someone's glory is to mock them, normally associated with sadness. AND, I think we found our mysterious stalker, since the very beginning. Time to play the drums for our finale soon.**

 **SpiritWolfay- Hello, new reviewer! Nice to meet you! *shakes hand* I'm Paradigm of Writing, obviously, and you picked a great group of people to meet. Wow! I am so flattered, that means so much to me, you don't even know! What else have you read from me? I don't need the whole list, just partial, as there is so much on my profile to pick from. As long as you keep giving me feedback, I'll surely keep writing!**

 **Mr. Squirtle6- Damn, I love your reviews. They're insightful, and help me in knowing what I'm doing right, if one person at least likes it or hates it, you're doing it right. Nana may have gotten fixed, or so did Lucas, that not everyone you love and trust has your back 24/7, clearly as we saw. Maybe it was Red who realized consequences have actions. We'll just have to be extremely philosophical about it all. And it didn't pass your mind who'd it be? I've said countless times that the only five main characters in this story are Ness, Lucas, Shulk, Red, and Nana. No one else- it had to be in the five.**

 **Guest- Lol, indeed. Anything else?**

 **YuukixMitsuru- I'm surprised you haven't gone into Yaoi or Lucas x Ness relapse yet with all my twists and turns dude. I can do whatever the hell I want, I'm the author, man. Is it all wrapping up nicely, when we'll have a dead main character on the sidewalk? Hope so. Where did that gunshot come from, dear friend? Only you know, if you think hard enough about it. Possibly couldn't be Shulk's gun... right? Glad to see you like Nana being back, reception for that was great!**

 **There we are my readers. Please review and let me know what you thought! We've got about six or so chapters left, but they're quite long... so I may split them up in shorter chapters to make the reading easy on everyone. I love you all! You're amazing people, and soon my exhausting season of school will be over. May 12th, and all my AP exams and EOC's I need to worry about will be over. *sigh* Our next chapter will be coming to a computer near you on April 27th, and it'll be the last update of this story for the month of April. Have an amazing day!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	35. Chapter 35: Blood Oath

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #35: Blood Oath. So I'm pretty sure my last chapter caused wars in the fandom of Ness x Lucas and now has everyone rising in multitude armies of hate against Shulk, but I proclaim to you all that it shall be defeated, you will all come to love me and this story, YES! *clears throat* Ahem, sorry about that, don't know what got into me. Anyways... you will probably want to rip me apart is the better term. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"No. Don't say that. Nathaniel, don't you dare-"

Shulk interrupted, making a tsk, tsk noise with his tongue. "Now, now, Lucas. I would have thought you more sentimental. No 'I love you'? No, 'I can't live without you'? How disappointing."

Ness closed his eyes, swallowing hard as he tried to keep himself from crying. He wouldn't let his boyfriend hear him cry. He wouldn't give the evil blonde any more fucking pleasure than he was already getting from this. No, if this was going to be his last few moments on earth, he wasn't going to spend them looking at Shulk's ugly ass face. If he closed his eyes just tight enough, he could picture Lucas, with one of his million dollar smiles.

"I'm sorry, Ness, that things had to end this way between us. You really are quite an attractive boy. Perhaps, in another life, things could have worked between us."

"Go to hell!" the raven haired boy muttered, keeping his eyes closed as he tried to force the sound of the construction worker's voice from his mind.

"Oh don't worry, I'll meet you there eventually."

Bracing himself, Ness's eyes flew open as he recognized a voice that he never thought he'd be glad to hear.

"Surprise!"

Ness's gaze drifted past Shulk, connecting with Red's for a second and then registering the fact that the guy had a gun leveled at the blonde's head.

"Bet you didn't see this one coming you twisted little fucker. You think you can get away with raping this pathetic little shit? Wrong. See, you seem to have forgotten one thing. My brother and I, we look out for each other. And, unfortunately for you, this kid you're about to rape is hella important to him. So, here's the deal. You drop the gun and do as I say, and I won't blow your fucking brains out."

Shulk's eyes narrowed, his face twitching slightly as he hesitated.

"So, this is what you've elected, is it? Very well. I was actually sparing you in a way, Nathaniel. I assure you, there are things much worse than death, and you will learn so soon enough."

Finally, he lowered the gun, dropping it to the ground before stepping back.

"Yeah, that's right. Nice n' easy there. Now this is what I want you to do. Take your sorry ass home, and leave the three of us the fuck alone. I'm not all too fond of the idea of wasting the rest of my future on a shithead like you, but don't think I won't go to jail for my brother. I will, in a heartbeat. And it doesn't hurt that I have my own little grudge to settle with you."

Staring down the trigger of Red's gun, the construction worker dropped Ness's phone, slowly easing his way back into the darkness. The rescuer followed him all the way down the street, making sure he actually left before returning to the waiter's side.

Ness slumped against the wall, feeling his legs give out on him as he slid to the ground. What the hell just happened? Shakily, he reached forward, grabbing hold of the phone and holding it up to his ear the best he could.

"Lucas?"

Cursing inwardly, Ness realized the other line had gone dead. Shulk must've hit something when he dropped the phone and cut the connection. And fuck. He was shaking so bad he couldn't even dial his boyfriend's phone number. He kept hitting the wrong god damn buttons and having to start over.

"Here."

Ness jumped, snapping his head up and jolting slightly as he met Red's gaze. Lord, he was jumpy.

"Whoa there. Take it easy."

For the first time, the brown haired kid actually sounded empathetic, almost compassionate. Maybe it was just the adrenaline and shit still fucking with his mind. Yeah, that had to be it.

Kneeling down, Red gently pried the phone from Ness's hands, dialing the only number he knew the kid would be trying to punch in at a time like this.

"Luke… yeah, this is Red. He's fine… you can talk to him in minute… I got here just in time... yeah, he's gone… no, he didn't get to do anything to him… yeah, here he is."

Extending a shaky hand, Ness was barely able to keep the phone pressed to his ear.

"H-hello?"

He was surprised to find Lucas's voice was even more shaky and raspy than his own, his words cracking as he spoke.

"Nathniel. Oh g-od, Nathaniel."

"I'm alright. I'm fine. I promise. I'm okay." It probably would've helped if he didn't sound so god damn shook up.

"He didn't get to do anything, did he? Please tell me he didn't-"

"No. No. Your brother got here in time."

The jock let out a strangled sigh, though it was definitely far from portraying any sort of relief.

"Lucas, I-"

"I'm on my way back now. I want you to go to the hospital and get checked out just in case, Nathaniel."

"Dude, he didn't get to do anything. Really. He just-"

"Please," There was a slight pause, one that made Ness realize that even though the event itself was over, the repercussions sure as hell weren't. "Please, Nathaniel. Just in case."

The raven haired boy bit down on his lip, knowing that right about now he'd agree to just about anything to get rid of the horrible strain in his boyfriend's voice.

"Alright. I will. I promise."

"And have Red come with you. I want him with you at all times until I get back."

Ness hesitated, not wanting to hang up on Lucas. Even hearing his voice like this was helping. He felt less shaky, safer. "Do you want to talk to him?"

He could hear the same hesitation in the blonde's voice, as if he needed to hear Ness's to make sure he was actually alright. Finally, though, he forced the words out, each one coming out rougher than a mouthful of razorblades.

"Yes. I should."

Slowly handing the phone back to Red, Ness could feel his whole body finally going limp, acknowledging the fact that it had somehow made it out of his little encounter with Shulk alive. He'd been sure he was going to die. He'd gone through the whole process, weighing out the choices he'd made in his life, acknowledging what he'd miss most, the things and people he'd be leaving behind.

Funny, the whole reason he'd been staring down the barrel of Shulk's gun was the one thing he hadn't been able to accept leaving behind. And, even worse, he couldn't bring himself to regret any of the choices he'd made to bring him to this point. If he could go back in time, yeah, he'd probably change few things, like making peace with Nana sooner and stupid shit like that. With Lucas, though, he wouldn't change a thing. Which, he supposed, meant he'd end up in exactly the same place. The thing was, in his life before all this, he'd just been existing. He hadn't been living, not really. But with the blonde, yeah, things got a hell of a lot more complicated, and he ran the risk of getting the ride cut short, but with him he was actually living. He'd take a little piece of heaven over a whole lot of nothing any day, hands down.

Closing his eyes, Ness could feel what was left of his strength slip away, his body giving in to the stress induced exhaustion that had taken hold of it. He tried to stay awake, he really did, but going through what he just had had had seeped up every ounce of strength he had.

* * *

Four hours later, he was back in Red's apartment after a rather awkward visit to the hospital. The bully had been nice enough to leave him to rest in his bedroom, staying to himself in the living room but letting him know he was there if he needed anything. Actually, Red was being really nice about all of this. Ness was half tempted to ask why, except he was almost sure if he did, it would ruin whatever mood had taken hold of him.

"Where is he?"

He bolted upright, immediately recognizing the urgent voice coming from the other room. Before he could even begin to get up, though, Lucas had bolted through the door and was on his knees at his side. Holding him back for a second, the blonde appraised him with his eyes as if to make sure for himself that he was alright despite what everyone else had told him. The second he was sure he was safe, though, he had Ness pulled tight against him, his arms wrapped around him and his lips pressed to his forehead.

"I'm so sorry, Nathaniel-"

"It's not your fault Lucas-"

"I should have never left you alone."

Ness could feel his voice crack as he spoke, despite his best efforts. He'd been holding it in this whole time. With Lucas here now, though, he felt safe, like he could finally break down. He vaguely registered the fact that his fingernails were probably digging into his boyfriend's skin even through his shirt, his hands desperately clinging to the front of him.

"There's no way you could've known."

He could feel Lucas shaking too, taking a few seconds to calm himself before speaking.

"Never again. I'm never leaving you alone again."

For a while, they just stayed like that, the blonde with his arms around Ness and the waiter clinging to him like his life depended on it. There was something about the physical comfort of being in Lucas's arms that just made it seem like, for the first time after what had just happened, everything would be alright. Something about the way he held him in his arms did more for him than any words or promises ever could.

Finally, though, Lucas pulled back slightly, keeping Nate in his arms but loosening his grip on him enough so that he'd be able to look him in the eyes.

"Nathaniel, I love you"

Ness could feel his heart skip a beat as he drew a sharp breath. He'd felt the words he'd just heard him say for a long time now, but hearing them like this was entirely different. His chest had filled with an indescribable warmth, a soft smile on his face despite all that had just happened.

"I need you to know. I wanted to wait till I was able to set up some sort of romantic moment, but…I just, after everything that happened, I couldn't wait any longer. I'm sorry if it's too soon for you-"

"No. I mean, it's not too soon. I love you too. I do. And I'm not just saying it because you did. I wanted to tell you, before you left. I just… I was worried maybe you didn't feel the same way yet or whatever."

Lucas let out what might have been a tight laugh if he wasn't still so strung out over all the shit that had just gone down.

"You know, this isn't the first time I've told you. Just the first time you've heard."

Ness's brows creased in confusion, as his eyes searched the jock's.

"Huh?"

"During our walks in the park, at midnight, when you would fall asleep… often, I would tell you. I didn't want to risk telling you while you were awake till I was sure you felt the same way with our living arrangements being as they were. If you didn't feel the same way, it would have just made living together awkward and I didn't want to put you in that position."

Ness let out something between a laugh and a sigh, shaking his head.

"God, you moron. How could you even think I wouldn't feel the same way." It was more of a statement than a question, and the younger boy could feel his chest loosen up a bit when Lucas responded with a small smile.

"Hey, you two lovebirds done with all the goo-goo ga-ga shit?" Red barked, emerging in the bedroom doorway. " 'Cause, I hate to ruin your whole 'lifetime' moment or whatever, but we've still got a few fucking huge ass problems to deal with."

Slowly, Ness felt Lucas release him, though he still kept a tight grip on his hand even as the three of them went to sit at the dining room table.

"So, I know you filled me in on all the shit you figured out, Luke, but that doesn't change the fact that this fucker is probably out there plotting his next move."

"Indeed," the blonde's tone had grown grave again, his grip on Ness's hand tightening slightly at the mention of Shulk. "He will act soon, now that he knows that we know who he is and what exactly he intends to do. We have a limited amount of time to act. And-"

 _Beep. Beep._

Ness flinched, still jumpy from what had just happened as he used his free hand to pull out his phone. Crap. Nana had been texting him like crazy these past few hours. Of course, she'd probably freaked when she'd finally decided to show up at Mac's Diner and he hadn't been there. After all the shit that had gone down, he'd totally forgotten to text her.

Lucas glanced over at his phone, his face flashing with recognition as he registered Nana's number.

"She should be with us, Nathaniel. Right now, she could be a liability. Shulk could use her against us, as I'm sure he knows by now that she is your best friend."

Ness nodded, pausing slightly as he moved to text her. "I mean… does that mean we tell her everything then."

Red's eyes narrowed immediately, his whole body tensing at the suggestion. "Fuck no. The more people we tell, the worse all this shit's gonna be. Besides, that chick has a fucking mouth the size of-"

"Yes, brother. I believe we're all familiar with his friend's behavior. And I agree, Nana should not be entirely informed on the situation… simply tell her that a situation has presented itself in which she would be safest with us."

Ness nodded, summing up what Lucas had said in a quick text. After a few seconds, his phone buzzed again.

 _You so have to spill when I see u. I'll b there in 15._

"She's coming." he said, shoving his phone back into his pocket. He wasn't sure how much they' d be able to get away with hiding from Nana with how intrusive she was, but they couldn't just leave her out there for Shulk to find.

"Good," Lucas said, looking a bit more tense than he had a second ago. "So, at this point, there is only one option that will afford us any chance of coming out of this unscathed. Retaliation. We must find some way of evening the odds, something incriminating on Shulk. We cannot go to the police and report what he's done because if we do, he will reveal my past with my mother. However, this also gives him the opportunity of acting as he wishes until he succeeds in carrying out his plans. If we arm ourselves with some leverage to even up the score, we can perhaps at least keep him from acting as he did."

"What the fuck type of plan is that? What if we can't find any shit on this guy and-"

"Red, do you really think you are the first person he raped?"

Holy crap. Shulk had raped Red? What the fuck? Not even in his wildest dreams could Ness imagine the bully being overpowered and dominated by anyone, even a guy with ten years on him. He just seemed way too hard for that.

The room fell deathly silent for a minute as Red's face contorted, his teeth clenching till Ness was sure one of them might chip. For a second, he was almost sure the brown haired teen was going to jump across the table and beat the shit out of his brother. Something in Red's eyes, though, made him think twice. Yeah, there was definitely hatred there, but it wasn't for Lucas. It was for himself.

Finally, though, the blonde continued, clearing his throat before he spoke.

"Yes, I assumed as much after I learned what I did about Shulk. Red, you should have told me. You know I-

"It doesn't even fucking matter, alright. Just shut the fuck up about it." he growled, obviously not comfortable talking about what had apparently transpired.

Lucas's eyes narrowed, obviously not intended to do as his brother had requested.

"Fine, _Red_ , I will respect your wishes about not wanting to talk to me about this. However, I do want you to see someone, a professional that can help you talk it out and-"

"Oh for shit sake. You've got to be kidding me. There's no way in hell I'm going to sit in some god damn chair spilling my guts out to some shrink-"

"Well you cannot just proceed like nothing happened, Red."

"The hell I can't."

Lucas let out a stifled sigh, leaning in towards his brother slightly. "Do you really want to end up like Shulk? This is going to destroy you if you don't deal with it properly, Red. I have forgiven you for doing what you did to Nathaniel because you also just saved his life, but make no mistake, I will not forgive you for playing a hand in destroying yourself. You can put up whatever façade you want to, brother, but I know you. You intentions are pure, though you perhaps go about them the wrong way."

Red looked mortified at what Lucas had just said, his eyes glaring daggers in the jock's direction.

"If I wanted to sit down and have a nice little chat about emotions and all that shit, I'd watch Oprah. Now we've got more important shit to deal with right now. So screw off and let's get back to the real issue."

Lucas pegged his brother with a hard stare, as if to tell him he'd lay off for now but this definitely wasn't over.

"Very well. Shulk must have an apartment. If my assumptions are correct, and this wasn't his first rape, I'm sure he took trophies and such. We need some form of palpable evidence, some type of proof, which will require breaking into his apartment. Doing so will be dangerous. I don't want either of you participating-"

"There's no way you're going alone," Ness interjected, joined by a grunt of protest from Red. "You said yourself that it's too dangerous."

"Nathaniel, I will not allow you to be put in a dangerous situation after what just happened. Shulk's problem is with me alone-"

"Yeah, well, I'm with you. So if he has a problem with you, then he has a problem with me."

Red leaned forward, obviously having had enough of staying silent on the issue.

"Listen, little brother, here's the deal. Ness and I aren't down with your little plan where you act like a dumb ass and end up getting yourself killed. So, here's how it's gonna be; if you don't agree to the three of us going in, Ness and I will just go by ourselves without telling you."

The blonde's eyes flared, his jaw tightening as Ness chimed in.

"Yup. And we're dead serious, too. So you'd better agree to the three of us going, unless you'd rather just the two of us go alone."

Lucas paused slightly, his gaze drifting from Red to Ness before he allowed a tight sigh to escape his lips.

"You know, I think perhaps I liked it better when the two of you weren't getting along."

Ness grinned, raising an eyebrow at Lucas. "Well, you know what they say: Be careful what you wish for."

* * *

Three hours and two pizzas later, they'd managed to fill Nana in on as much as they could without telling her what Lucas had done to his mother. As far as she knew, Shulk had just tried to rape Ness because he was still hung up on him, and now he was dead set on getting back at the blonde jock for stealing his old crush from him.

Thank god she had never been the brightest girl, seeing as they'd had several near slip-ups where they'd had to do a whole lot of backpedaling to cover their tracks. The four of them were going to crash at Red's, at least the next few days. It was pretty much an overall consensus that there was safety in numbers, and after hearing as much of the story as they'd been able to tell her, Nana had insisted on coming with them to break into Shulk's apartment. Thank god Thanksgiving break had just started, so they wouldn't have to worry about school for the next week.

Lucas was set to head out and figure out where Shulk lived and when he'd be gone for his job in construction. He'd insisted that Red stay back at the apartment with Ness and Nana just in case their 'friend' decided to make another charming appearance.

The raven haired boy had tried to stay awake most of the night, but seeing as it was about three in the morning, he didn't feel all too guilty for crashing on Red's bed next to Nana. Thank the lord she didn't snore.

Drifting in and out of sleep, Ness could feel his mind being pulled out of whatever transitory state it had been in, something pulling it back to consciousness. Two people were talking in hushed voices… Red and Lucas. There was something about the total and complete seriousness with which the two brothers regarded each other with that made him worry. Keeping his eyes closed, he pretended to be asleep as he listened in on the two figures standing in the doorway.

"Brother, I'm trusting you with him. You know how hard that is after all that's happened."

"Yeah… I know. And I swear, I won't let anything happen to him. I mean, you're only going to be gone for a couple of hours anyways, right? It can't take that long to figure out where the son of a bitch lives and get his work schedule."

There was a pause for a minute before Lucas spoke again.

"Red, I need you to promise me something."

"Alright, shoot."

"I need you to promise me that you'll put Nathaniel's safety first, no matter what."

"Yeah, I will. I mean, second to yours of course."

"That's not what I asked, you know it."

Ness could hear Red make a sound of protest, obviously catching his brother's drift.

"You can't ask me to do that, Luke-"

"I need to know someone's going to be watching over him just in case."

"You're not going to have to worry about that, Lucas. We're going to make it through this-"

"Red, you have no idea how it felt to be on the other end of that phone when Shulk had Nathaniel at gunpoint. For the first time in my life, I felt completely helpless and utterly terrified. He means everything to me, Red. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if something happened to him."

The boy cursed under his breath, and Ness could hear the guy began to pace back and forth in the hallway.

"Shit, Lucas. I know you love him and all… but, shit."

"You- you of all people remember how much of a complete wreck I was after losing mother? I couldn't go through that with Nathaniel. I just couldn't."

Ness could hear Red stop his pacing at the mention of their mother.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck… fine. Whatever. But only because I remember how you were after her."

"Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me-"

"Yeah. Do me a favor and don't mention it, alright. I don't want the little shit thinking I actually like him or whatever."

Lucas let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head.

"Well, you two do seem to have bonded in my absence."

"Oh, shut up and get to figuring out where Shulk lives."

There was a slight pause before Lucas spoke again, his tone much softer.

"Thank you though, Red. I'm serious."

"Yeah. I know. And you're welcome."

Ness could hear the sound of footsteps, and then the front door open and close. Lucas had left, and Red was somewhere in the dining room.

Holy shit, though. Ness so didn't like the sound of that little promise Lucas had just made his brother swear himself to. It reeked of all sorts of ominous and foreboding. Yeah, it was a possibility that one of them might end up getting hurt, or worse, but god, to make Red promise something like that… after all, Ness's favorite thing about Red had always been the way he put his brother's safety above everything. He hoped to god, that the brother had just been bullshitting the promise to put Lucas at ease, because he really didn't like the idea that his brother wouldn't have someone watching his back when a psychotic bastard like Shulk was out there plotting all sorts of ways to hurt him. Nope. He really wasn't cool with what had just gone down. Not at all.

* * *

 **There we are guys! So, was there a gunshot? Was there not a gunshot? Hmm... it depends on which gun fired it, because I clearly didn't mention it in this chapter. Maybe it didn't even fire and Ness heard it in his brain? We'll have to see, won't we? I hope this chapter provided a nice bowtie on the chaos that's been happening lately, makes me feel better to have a wind down chapter since we are so close to finishing. *wipes brow* Wooh, reviews replies inbound!**

 **Summer Halos- Awwww, that is so sweet of you to say! Thank you so much! None of the names are changed, Lucas is still Lucas, and so on and so forth. None of the characters have been changed. Originally, rewriting this, I wanted Cloud to replace Shulk, but that would've been a BAD move on my part so I didn't go for it. I love Lucas more, despite Ness being the main character. Lucas... just, he needs to be a mix of power and weakness, clearly favored towards power.**

 **YuukixMitsuru- If you think I'm gonna hold it against you for being busy, there's another thing coming, dude. I understand life, it runs me over with a tractor every two days. Haha, yeah, I can imagine it was a lot getting told in the chapter, but these last six (counts in head, yep, six), will be busy and just as long, if not longer. Be prepared. Well... Shulk is messed up. No other way to explain it, and I'm not gonna try to, lol. Nope, no Marth! Sorry bud!**

 **Ender2412- I love how you used the M rating to justify all the swearing. I find it super adorable! Nana isn't that mean... and it's a good thing she didn't show up. That'd be bad, I mean Shulk couldn't necessarily keep both at bay without a super bad consequence of someone who's totally innocent. Maybe we'll see Nana go all ninja and shit! You _are_ very emotionally attached to these characters. It isn't a bad thing.**

 **The Almighty CGA- Why, thank you for reviewing! So sorry for the tears! And no character death... yet. It's hard to write a story without character death in it, and this story is no exception. I'll spoil it for you right now... guys, someone is dying. And... that's all you will get. Love that little tidbit.**

 **Ninten64- *whistles* Damn dude, look at you calling the shots. What next? Predict who dies in this story? You've got a five character choice, my friend.**

 **SpiritWolfay- Man, you're too cute! *offers hug* I'll never find out truthfully why people get so happy when I update, it is just a story after all... I'm sorry about the tears... that's something else I've caused a lot. Hopefully that cliffhanger didn't piss you off with all that somesuch glaring. I... man that is a good question. I really don't know when I'll have a new Nesscas story. I probably write them less than a few of my other Smash pairings. Strange. I do have Ness as a main character who'll show up in my other Smash WIP at the moment, though. And you flatter me, Cross Examined is very beneath me now except like Chapter 45. Heh. And stop! You'll make me blush so much my skin will officially be pink.**

 **Mr. Squirtle6- The details in this story are very important, they'll come back and bite unexpected people in the ass with them. Glad to see the old twists returned? I don't have as many plot twists in this then I did in Cross Examined (where there was like a cliffhanger each and every chapter, lol). Shulk is a human, they all are... that one incident just messed him up. You'd think it is like that's all he knows. Glad to see you piecing everything together, that makes me _SUPER_ happy. And awww, thank you! :D Stop being so amazing.**

 **mother-sins- I sort of figured that the chapter would destroy you, which is why I wrote it like this instead! We need to find you an aqueduct where all the tears can go, it's like whoa! So sorry to have ruined your life!**

 **And that's all for this time! Our next update will be on Sunday, May 1st! So close to the end of school, I cannot wait. Man, sophomore year has been crazy. Like, for real. Now, when this story is over and finished, and even currently, if you all want to still read more of my work, I have a piece of mine called Icarus Chronicle that I'm writing about the Icarus twins, and it's a magical AU with Pit, Kuro, Robin (F), Peach, Roy, Ness, Lucina, Palutena and Shulk. It is definitely one of my more adventureous pieces I've done in awhile, so go check it out while you wait. It'll have frequent updates as my summer Smash story. Alrighty, I love you guys! Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know what you thought, I'll be responding to them all below like always. Have a great day! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	36. Chapter 36: Calm Before the Storm

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter in The Raven and the Lion, #36: Calm Before the Storm. Our timeline is running down quickly, it is time to piece things together before the final big slough to the end. I am super, oh super happy to have a chapter out today, as it's been a great day so far and I want that momentum to continue as we start off the month of May. Wow, can't believe it was near the end of January when I began to repost this, so thank you all so much for the continued support, it is rather gravitating. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Ness fidgeted in the passenger seat of Lucas's car, tugging at the sleeves of his Mac's Diner uniform. Going back there had been… nerve-wracking. The only way he'd even been able to make it through his shift was to keep reminding himself his boyfriend was right outside to make sure nothing happened. Yup. After Shulk's little murder attempt, Lucas had been at his side pretty much at all times, except for when he'd had to leave to get info on Shulk. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that tomorrow, he, Red, Nana, and Lucas we're going to break into the guy's apartment to try and dig up some dirt on him, or that Lucas was actually attempting to convince him to stay behind.

"Nathaniel, you know I'd much rather you stay behind-"

"Yeah, well that's not happening. Someone has to watch your back."

The blonde let out a slight sigh, obviously displeased by the absolute resolve in Ness's voice.

"You know Red is more than capable of doing so, Nathaniel. I assure you, you have nothing to worry yourself about-"

"Yeah? I wish that were true."

He raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he cast Ness a curious glance. "Is there a particular reason you seem to believe tomorrow's events will end in a rather tragic demise for everyone involved, Nathaniel?"

The raven haired boy shot him a serious glare, crossing his arms and sinking further down into the seat of Lucas's car.

"Yes, actually, there is."

"And what exactly would that be?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because my boyfriend made his brother promise something that could only mean one thing and one thing only. And he would have never even made his brother promise something like that in the first place if he wasn't anticipating for something bad to happen."

Lucas's smirk faltered slightly, though still remained on his face.

"Not to mention he shouldn't have made his brother promise something like that. Ever. In, like, a million years. And I don't even care what his reasons were for it. He shouldn't have," Ness let out a frustrated sigh, sitting up in his seat a little more and confronting the jock full on. "C'mon, Luke. We're in this together. I mean, whatever happens and shit, I don't want you sneaking around behind the scenes trying to protect me. This isn't just your life that's on the line here. This is mine too. I mean, what the hell type of future do you think I'd even have without you?"

"Nathaniel-"

"And if you really think that's how shit is going to go down tomorrow, I want to come. I mean, I want to come anyways, but especially if you think things are going to get all screwy and shit. I want to be there with you, no matter what goes down. I already went through the whole 'I think I'm gonna die' scenario, remember? And the worst part about it was that you weren't even there, so I couldn't even say anything to you or shit. So, if that's really what you think is gonna happen-"

"Nathaniel, that is in no way how I foresee things going tomorrow-"

"Then why did you make Red promise what you did? I mean, that's the only way it would make sense."

"I see no harm in planning for all scenarios, Nathaniel. You are my number one priority, and I would like to ensure that you will be taken care of in the event that Shulk does in fact get what he wants."

Ness could feel his throat suddenly grow tight and dry, flames licking at his lungs. Gah. Even the very thought of what Lucas was suggesting was horrible. And the fact that he was speaking about it so casually, like they were talking about what they were going to have for dinner or some shit, was just making him more pissed.

Squinting, the boy's brows creased in confusion as he'd realized they'd come to a stop, though it wasn't in front of Red's apartment like he'd been expecting. It was in the area, sure, but it was closer to the park were they'd taken their midnight walks. Actually, it was pretty much right next to the park, as in 'cross the street and you'll be there' close .

"Where are we-"

"Just follow me." The secret smirk slowly spreading across Lucas's face made Ness's eyes narrow in suspicion. He was up to something, he just wasn't sure what. Getting out of the car, he was surprised to feel the blonde take hold of his hand and lead the way into a nearby building. The whole holding hands thing wasn't what surprised him, they did that enough so that now Ness didn't even feel self-conscious or anything walking around hand-in-hand like that in public. It was the excitement in his touch, perhaps with a sense of urgency, that surprised him.

Leading him into an elevator, Ness cast a suspicious glance in the blonde's direction as Lucas leaned forward and pressed the number 7 button with his free hand.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he mused, obviously satisfied by the puzzled look on Ness's face. "I assure you, however, that it is somewhat related to the conversation we were just having."

"Wait… we're not going to Shulk/s apartment, are we?"

The jock let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "No, Nathaniel. I do not think doing so would exactly be the wisest choice at this time. Going in with no back-up, at 10:30 at night when Shulk will undoubtedly be at home is not exactly what I would call a strategic move."

Well, what the hell were they doing here then? Ness wracked his brain for answers as the elevator reached floor 7 and Lucas led the way over to a nearby door. Reaching into his pocket, he cast one last perplexing glance over his shoulder before unlocking the door and pushing it open for his boyfriend.

Cautiously, Ness gave his boyfriend one last suspicious glance before stepping inside. Even after all this time, there we're still instances where he had no idea what Lucas was thinking. Yeah, most of the time he could get a read on him, but he had a feeling that that was only because his boyfriend wanted him to. When he had his heart set on hiding something, Ness might as well be staring at a brick wall to try and get any sort of physical clues out of him to figure out what he was thinking.

Taking a few steps inside, he froze as it hit him. The whole apartment, it smelled like peppermint, like _Lucas's_ peppermint. The place was decent sized, bigger than both Red and Lucas's apartments had been, and warmly decorated.

Glancing to the left, Ness froze as he spotted something oddly familiar framed on the wall. Cautiously taking a few steps forward, he did a double take to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him and he was actually seeing what he thought.

"The note. This is the note, the one I wrote in the beginning, with all my questions and-"

He spun around, locking eyes with Lucas, who was leaning casually against the doorway, a soft smile on his lips.

Holy shit. He'd kept it all this time. He must've gotten in back from Red sometime between all the bullshit that had gone down because of it. But still. Holy shit. He knew he shouldn't be surprised, because it was his boyfriend, and he just did shit like this, but he was.

"You know, Nathaniel, I do believe you know the answers to each and every one of those questions now."

Ness bit down on his lip. God. He didn't know whether to laugh or get all emotional and shit. It was just… he was in love with him. Actually in crazy, head-over heels ,'I get butterflies every time I'm around you' love. And Lucas actually felt the same way.

It all seemed so surreal. Actually, these past few months all seemed so unreal. He had to keep telling himself this wasn't some sort of movie or dream or anything. This was actually his life. He wasn't sure what the hell the blonde saw in him, nor did he understand why Lucas didn't go off and date some hot model that was actually in his league, but he'd gotten past the point of being all hung up on understanding any of that shit. The jock was his. That was all that mattered. And as long as Lucas would have him, he was going to take advantage of every second of it.

"I'd recommend, however, that you explore the rest of the place. You never know what you might find."

His eye's resting on Lucas's for a moment, Ness forced his gaze back to the rest of the apartment, methodically surveying the rest of the living room. There was a flat screen t.v. at the far end of the room, and next to it a shelf full of just about every Disney movie to ever exist. Of course, movie night.

Kneeling down, he thumbed through the collection, recognizing a few of the videos. There were plenty, though, that he hadn't seen before, which would be nice for a change of pace. You could only watch _Finding Nemo_ so many times before you started to lose your mind.

"You know, I think the woman who served as my cash register person found my taste in movies rather amusing. I suppose an eighteen year old boy stalking up on almost every Disney movie in existence does appear rather comedic."

Ness snorted, letting out a stifled laugh. Yeah, before he'd gotten to know Lucas, he would've pegged him as the type of guy that was into action and gore movies. No porn, because he was definitely attractive enough to go out and get laid instead of just watching it on t.v., but that still was higher on the list of likely movie picks than Disney movies.

This had to be Lucas's new place. Ness could feel his heart sink a little at the very thought, though he knew feeling like that was selfish at best. He should be happy that his boyfriend was finally going to be able to move out of Red's and have his own place again… except he just couldn't bring himself to. Because that meant he wouldn't be living with Lucas anymore either. He would probably cash in on the little deal he'd made to apologize to his mom and all, and then he'd have to go back to living with her. Which would be just great.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, Ness forced his feet forward, moving into the kitchen. On the counter was an espresso maker, with a few bags of coffee grounds from the shop they always went to for study dates… the shop they'd had their first unofficial date at. He knew it couldn't be a coincidence. Nothing was with Lucas.

Ness had never actually been one for just straight coffee, or anything that wasn't loaded with sweetener and whipped cream, but he did like waking up to the smell of coffee in the morning. That was how it had been when he'd lived with his mother, except most of the time she ruined the whole relaxing effect it had on him by trying to force some type of intellectual conversation out of him the few times he'd dared venture down into the kitchen before 11. Ness wasn't a morning person. Period. And he sure as hell wasn't up for having some sort of intellectual, deep conversation when he could barely manage to walk a straight line.

God. Going back to live with her was going to be hell. But whatever, it wasn't as if he could stay like this with Lucas forever. Yeah, he'd give anything to, but it really wouldn't be fair to him. And besides… Ness had been trying to ignore the thought, but he couldn't help but realize half the school year was almost over. And the jock was a senior. Which meant going off to college once summer rolled around.

Gah. Why did he have to be a junior? Honestly, if he could manage to get accepted to wherever it was Lucas was planning on going, he would, just so they could be together. But there was no chance in hell that was going to happen. The blonde was smart enough to go somewhere like Harvard, or Yale, or one of those prestigious schools, and he had enough money to too.

There was no way Ness was going to ask him to stay here and go to one of the lame colleges around here either. Yeah, he was selfish sometimes, but not that selfish. Lucas was going to go places, and do amazing shit with his life, and he wasn't going to stand in his way.

He'd tried to bring up the conversation with him a few times, actually, but every time he did, he always found himself getting cold feet and not following through. It was just… right now, Lucas was his life, point blank. And if they made it through all this shit with Shulk, it was going to kill him to have to not see him every day and all that shit. Yeah, they'd probably have weekend visits and all, but there was just a certain level of intimacy you could only get from waking up next to someone every day.

Hell, look at how bad he'd missed him when he'd been gone just a few days to find out who the stalker was. Maybe he could convince the blonde to let him live with him wherever he ended up attending college and finish up his last year of high school somewhere close. Yeah. That sounded a hell of a lot better than the whole 'long distance relationship' thing. But whatever. That conversation was for another time.

Angling his head to the right, Ness paused, his gaze lingering on a piece of paper held on the front of the fridge by a single magnet.

Posted on the refrigerator was a recipe for Chili, spicy chili to be exact. He could feel a grin tugging at the corner's of his lips as he thought back to the first time Lucas had come into Mac's Diner and insisted on talking to him despite Ness's best efforts to get rid of the guy. Then he'd tried to pull a fast one of him by recommending he order the hottest thing off the menu, but Lucas hadn't even been fazed.

God, that seemed like a lifetime ago. How could he have even thought pushing Lucas away was a good idea? He'd been such a different person back then… still hiding in the closet, mainly because of his mother, not doing much with his life besides gossiping over petty shit with Nana and walking around as ignorant as ever, thinking Red and Lucas we're just a bunch of dumb jocks.

Yeah. He'd definitely been a different person back then. And thank god he'd grown… he still didn't really feel like an adult or anything, but he definitely felt like he'd grown up a lot.

Rifling through the rest of the kitchen, Ness threw around the idea in his head that even if he did have to go back and live with his mother, maybe Lucas would still teach him how to cook. Eventually, he wanted to be able to cook for the blonde, like he had for him so many times. He liked the idea of being able to provide and care for him in some way, seeing as most of the time it seemed like Lucas was doing all the taking care of.

He could feel his boyfriend's eyes on him, though he remained silent as he waited for Ness to explore the rest of the apartment. He felt like he should say something, except he was kind of getting a little sentimental Lucas had remembered all this shit, and he really didn't want to embarrass himself by having his voice crack. Settling for a comfortable silence, Nate moved on to the next room, and definitely by far his favorite room.

The first thing Ness noticed when he walked into the bedroom was the huge window on the far side of the room. Slowly making his way over to it, he realized it pretty much offered a perfect view of the park they'd spent almost every night this past month taking midnight walks in. It looked almost as beautiful from up here than it did actually being in the park. Up this high with the moon out and all, it illuminated the park beautifully, bringing back fond memories that left Ness flushing slightly. Yeah. They'd definitely made a lot of memories in that park, one in particular that he liked to revisit in his mind a lot more that he had any right to.

He glanced over his shoulder, following Lucas's gaze to the dresser lined up against the right wall. Taking the queue, Ness moved forward, pulling open the top drawer. The raven haired boy could feel a ridiculous smile spread across his face as he took in the sight that welcomed him. The whole drawer was filled with all sorts and types of belt buckles. Holy shit. There had to be at least thirty in here. He'd be able to wear a different one each day of the month.

"Yes, I thought, perhaps you might need a few more." Lucas mused, an amused smirk on his face.

Ness snorted, letting out a loud laugh. "These are going to be freaking heavy as hell to carry out of here though."

The jock's smirk faltered slightly as his brows creased. "Carry out?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I can't just come over to your place every time I need a wardrobe change."

Lucas blinked, an unreadable expression flashing across his face before he let out a small laugh.

"Ah. I see. You misunderstand, Nathaniel. This is not _my_ apartment. This is _our_ apartment. "

Ness froze, vaguely registering the fact that he'd just dropped the belt buckle he'd been inspecting.

"Huh?"

"I told you I planned for all scenarios, didn't I Nathaniel? I suppose I should have consulted you about this, but naturally I just assumed that eventually you and I would get our own place. It seems only the logical thing to do, seeing as you and I are in love. Yes, perhaps now is not the best time for such things, which is why I was going to wait to show you the place till after we settled our unfinished business with Shulk. However, after our little conversation in the car about how you felt I was expecting the worst outcome from this situation, I felt the need to prove to you otherwise."

"Lucas..." the waiter blushed.

Taking a few steps forward, Lucas came to a stop in front of Ness, taking his hands in his.

"You see, I very much believe that you and I will come out of this unscathed, and that eventually we will find the peace we've been looking for. This place… I bought it for us, Nathaniel. Yes, originally, I did plan for you to move back in with your mother until you graduated from high school… but, after all that has transpired, I highly doubt I will be able to remain sane if I'm not around you 24/7 to keep you safe-"

"But what about college. I mean, Lucas, you can't just stay here for me. You could go just about anywhere-"

"Why would I? I have already found what makes me happy in life, and that's being here, with you. Why seek to fix something that is not broken, Nathaniel? I've already made my decision on the matter, and I will attend college here, at least until you graduate high school. Then, we can explore other possibilities, such as where you hope to attend college."

"But-"

"Listen to me Nathaniel. You believe that attending college somewhere else it what is best for me,but I assure you, that is not true, not if you're not there with me. My future is with you, as is yours with me."

Ness didn't even try and stop himself as he leaned forward on his tiptoes, pulling Lucas towards him by the front of his shirt and kissing him hard. That had been exactly what he needed to hear. Yeah, he'd told him that he should just go off and do the smart thing and go to college or whatever, but really, he'd wanted him to stay with him here. He couldn't even picture his life without Lucas, and he didn't even want to think about a future without him. He'd become so much more than just his boyfriend. He'd become his best friend, his confidante, everything he'd ever wanted and needed. He was the one person in his life Ness honestly felt like he couldn't live without. And he needed to know Lucas felt the same way, because honestly, if he wanted, Erik could just pick up and move wherever and probably get some new boyfriend in, like, a week. But he couldn't, and even if he could, he knew he'd always want Erik.

It was just… nice to know Lucas wanted a future with him as much as he did. He'd been trying his hardest not to come off all desperate and clingy and shit these past few days, but after realizing how it actually felt to be away from the blonde for the first time, he'd realized exactly how much he needed him. He wasn't just his other half or some shit like that. Because you can still go on and live or whatever with just half of you. It was more than that. He didn't know who he was without Lucas, or what the hell the purpose was to going through the motions and getting through life.

Ness smiled as he felt Lucas laugh into the kiss, obviously amused by his reaction.

The boy's mind, however, had gone in a totally different direction, now that it had officially been established that this was in fact him and Lucas's apartment. See, the way he saw it, right now, that meant they were standing in the middle of _their_ bedroom, just the two of them, with no one to interrupt and shit if things took a turn in the direction Ness was hoping they would.

They hadn't been alone like this in, like, forever. Yeah, they'd had movie nights and midnight walks, but it wasn't the same, not really. With those, they always had it in the back of their minds that they had to return back to Red's apartment at some point, and going back all excited and shit wasn't something that would please their roommate. Not at all.

Ness kept his hands on Lucas's shirt as he pulled away just far enough so they'd be able to speak.

"So…" he drawled, a mischievous smile on his face as he slowly ran a finger up the blonde's chest.

Lucas raised an eyebrow, his smile turning into a crooked smirk as he glanced down at Ness's finger accusingly.

"That's not very nice, Nathaniel."

He did his best to put on an innocent face, pulling Erik a little closer by the front of his shirt.

 _Beep. Beep._

Lucas made no move to reach for his phone as it rang in his pants pocket. Thank god they hadn't called a few seconds ago, because if they had, Ness would've had to murder whoever it was. Literally. Wait... he needed to kill whoever called, they were _just_ about to get to first base.

Then Ness's started going off, both phone's ringing incessantly. What the fuck? Whoever it was, they better have a damn good reason for calling.

Cursing under his breath, he hesitantly slid off the bed, reaching for Ness's phone and handing it to him before digging into his pant pocket for his own.

Flipping open his phone, Ness angrily barked an annoyed hello.

Nana's overexcited voice came through on the other line, her words meshing together.

"Oh my god, Ness, where are you!"

"Are you fucking kidding me. What the hell do you want, Nana? I'm kinda busy right now."

"Red and I have been trying to call you and Lucas! Shulk broke into the apartment. None of us were here or anything. But, like, he left us a note... or, well, a calling card, rather. There's no way were going to be able to break into his apartment, Ness. He's known Lucas's been following him all along. You guys need to get over here ASAP, in case he decides to pull some shit while the two of you are alone."

Ness could feel the blood drain from his face, paling immediately as he looked up at Lucas's. The blonde's face had taken on a similar expression, his eyes connecting with his as his jaw tensed up. Well, shit. So much for the whole romantic mood... hell, they'd be lucky to even sleep after this.

* * *

 **Just a sweet, little calm chapter. There _was_ more, but I'm not going that far into right now, got more things to do. So... there are four chapters left my friends from 37. Four. Our end is rapidly upon us and I think I'm literally going to kill you all now before we get there as it'll be so heartbreaking and gut wrenching you'll throw a riot. I totally bet, haha. Here's review replies (which you're all awesome at.)**

 **YuukixMitsuru- Hey! Man, I've been waiting and waiting haha. Some do, but the one I see is actually super nice and really listens which is all I could ever ask for. Hey, you slipped up dude. I'm okay with my name, but all of a sudden I see pictures of me as your profile or other things then I'll have an issue. Glad you're in love. Oh, I dunno. I'll tell you this much, some part of Lucas will die before this is over.**

 **The Almighty CGA- Well, then sound it off! I love having the answer in my head and seeing the supposed at bay. What is it? Glad to know I keep you on your toes- I'm never one way when it comes for plots and predictions unless I make it truly obvious when the story calls for it. Thanks!**

 **Mr. Squirtle6- Well, if Ness died, who mind you has the majority of all main P.O.V's, who'd I run it from? If he were to die, it'd be at the very end. I wonder when you read Cross Examined, did you have all the plot points connected and you knew who'd be dying when and what where lol. Try and figure it out. If you believe it's gonna be Red, then say it'll be Red. He'd be dying like a sacrificial lamb or for glory type of moment. Be nervous, my friend. If you aren't nervous, I'm not doing my job. And stop it! You're amazing, okay?**

 **Ninten64- See? The boy is coming around. Have faith my friends, have glorious faith! Perhaps, because it means someone will be constantly around her, probably Red himself. Maybe they'll hook-up, hmm? Wow, you've got quite the imaginative mind... but nope, no one is in a coma. The death that will happen will be fully true. So... you think Shulk will kill a hero? Okay, got it.**

 **SpiritWolfay- Haha, you're like a great big fluffy ball of energy which I love. Keep it up, makes me smile reading your reviews! Ooh, dancing? You a dancer, or like one of those people at parties who try but don't have any sort of skill ever? Ness isn't hurt, least not yet. Hey, no self plugging. Let me do the plugging here, like for Yuuki's How I Met Him. But sure, I'll definitely check it out between now and the next update, you may just have to PM me and remind me so I don't forget. Wow. That makes me envious, at the view count. Cross Examined is somewhere in the 30thousands or something, and this story is in the 6 or 7thousands, but don't quote me. Hey, don't say that. I was thirteen when I majorly wrote Cross Examined- look where it put me now!**

 **Ender2412- You are that one adorable like seven year-old. If you wanna see more Lucas where's he rather shy but strong _and_ in a Yaoi relationship, go read Policies in Detention. He practically was the main character and I mixed things up by giving him a relationship with Little Mac which was really fun! Your sign confuses me. What exactly did you make, lol? Wow, thank you so much! I love Orson's work, so to be compared to him like that via characterization just made my day man, thank you SO much! *hugs* Keep the conspiracy thoughts in your head, but who do you think will die? Have a great day frothing with that one!**

 **Summer Halos- A great person who is humble will thank all their supporters, and even their haters, so me saying thank you is the simplest gratitude I could do. If I knew you face to face, I'd say it to your face. Delicious, lol? There wasn't even any smut. (Want smut, read chapter thirty two? Or read Oasis, Dark Tech Tethered on Darkness, or Honeymoon Stage. There's your smut). And you reread the chapters till the next one comes out? Damn. Dedication.**

 **mother-sins- I'm like a real life Halloween horror story. You're welcome for not ruining your life. Least, not yet.**

 **So that's all for this chapter. Thanks for reading and please review. This story is now my longest story, we're in the 120k mark now, surpassing my Hunger Games piece Capitol's Strike (which, if you like the HG fandom, I'd love for you to read). While you're waiting for the next chapter, I highly suggest going to read Icarus Chronicle, which will have an update sometime tomorrow or Tuesday, an AU Fantasy/Drama with Pit, Dark Pit, Robin, Peach, Roy and more! You guys are the greatest, have a great day! Love you all! Bye! I should have Chapter 37 out by Thursday!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	37. Chapter 37: Heart Shards

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #37: Heart Shards. This... this'll be quite the chapter. Long, and heartbreaking my friends, I can't lie to you this time. Last chapter, Ness reminisced and reminisced before Lucas came in to give him a little something... as Shulk cock blocked them. I had a scene out there guys but it would've been twenty million times funnier to leave it out. I also lowered the story rating back to T, as I don't think I added any more scenes than the one you saw, and after a lot of debating (because I really do wanna follow the rules), I thought it wasn't as explicit enough, and the language will be lowered down, too. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Ness glanced over at Lucas, who was now anxiously running a hand through his hair, pacing the length of Red's living room.

"No. I don't believe anything good can come from this."

"Luke, c'mon." he pleaded, looking back down at the calling card in his hand. When Red and Nana had called about Shulk breaking into the apartment and leaving a calling card, they'd neglected to mention the calling card had been left for one person in specific. Him.

The apartment had remained relatively undisturbed, the only sign the construction worker had even been there in the form of the calling card he'd left on the dining room table, and the small note attached to it, giving detailed instructions for Ness and only the waiter to call him at the number written on it. It had also included a nice little tid bit about how he was flattered by the sudden interest Lucas had taken in him, following him around and all. So, obviously, that meant breaking into his apartment would be out of the question. He'd known he was being tailed all along.

"We need a break here, something to pin on him. We're not even gonna be able to break into his apartment now, and you know it. Maybe if I talk to him, he'll slip up, and-"

"I don't want you having any more contact with him, Nathaniel. Your last encounter with him almost proved to be fatal. I do not wish to press our luck in a similar circumstance again."

"But, Lucas, it's gonna be over the phone-"

"I don't care. It still poses a relative threat-"

"Dude, the little shit's got a point." Red interrupted, followed be a shrill noise of agreement from Nana. "I mean, right now, we've got nothing. And he's got enough ammunition to take us all down here. I know you want to keep your little boy toy safe and all, but I assure you, he's not gonna be safe when Shulk turns us all in to the police and he gets sent to jail-"

"Jail? Why would he go to jail?" Nana asked, her eyes drifting from Red to Ness, and then Lucas.

"It's complicated." the boy grumbled, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. "But seriously, Luke-"

"Wait. Why would Ness go to jail?" the only girl in the room interrupted again, her voice a little more alarmed this time.

"Listen, Nana," Ness said, turning to her before Red could light into her for interrupting him a second time. "You don't want to know. Honestly. And telling you would only make this situation worse. All I can say is that Shulk knows that I know something that could get me locked up."

"So. Wait. Like, you lied to me-"

"Oh shut up!" Red snarled, turning and glaring at her. "It doesn't matter, alright. The details aren't what's important here. What's done is done. All you need to know is Shulk's little grudge against Lucas, it's about more than just him being with Ness, and our little construction worker knows shit that could get the three of us locked up for a hell of a long time."

Nana made a pouty face, crossing her arms in front of her. "I hate when people keep secrets from me."

Lucas cleared his throat, stepping forward slightly. "Yes, well some secrets kill, Nan, and I assure you that if I could have kept this one from Nathaniel, I would have."

Ness made a noise of protest, opening his mouth to object only to be cut off by Lucas, though this time it was obvious he wasn't talking to her.

"It's bad enough that I've involved you in this, Nathaniel. My actions inadvertently almost led to your death. I will not allow you to be put in danger because of me again."

"Yeah, well, I hate to break it to you, but it's not only your choice. I'm not going to sit here twiddling my thumbs while some psychopath goes after my boyfriend, especially when there's something I might be able to do about it."

"Nathaniel, I'm sorry, but I can't let you-"

Red cut in, stepping towards his brother. "Alright, well, seeing as you two are squabbling like some pathetic married couple, I say we take a vote-"

"Absolutely not-"

Ignoring Lucas's protests, the old bully continued. "Alright, so, who thinks the boyfriend of my brother should make the call?"

Red raised his hand, followed by Ness, and after a quick kick to the shins from the raven haired boy, Nana as well.

The jock's eyes flared, his possessive nature taking over.

"I don't care about the outcome of some vote. This is not negotiable."

Ness took a step towards his boyfriend, grabbing his hand and pulling him off to the side a little. Strong-arming him into a decision obviously wasn't going to work. Speaking in a hushed voice so that only Lucas could hear, he squeezed the blonde's hand gently.

"Lucas, please, think about this. We've got to do this. We have no other choice. You know if we don't play along with his little game, he's going to get pissed and turn you in. Then we'll all be in deep shit. Now c'mon. It's just a phone call. You'll be right here, not in another state like last time… trust me to do this. "

The blonde looked torn, his features growing tense for a minute as his eyes locked with Ness's. After a few seconds, though, he let out a tense sigh, swallowing hard.

"Fine. But you are to tell me if he threatens you in any way, Nathaniel."

The young boy nodded immediately, feeling an odd sense of relief wash over him. Lucas wasn't the only one that felt powerless here. Yeah, physically, he was pretty much useless. But now he was being presented with a chance to actually be able to help his boyfriend, and he'd never forgive himself if he didn't take it.

Going back to Red and Nana, Ness held Lucas's hand as he whipped out his cell phone, his hands shaking slightly as he dialed the number on the calling card Shulk had left. The phone rang twice before a voice sounded on the other line.

"Ah, so I see you got my calling card." Shulk drawled, his voice smooth sending a chill down Ness's spine. God, didn't hearing him again bring back memories. He clung to Lucas's hand a little tighter, trying to keep himself calm as he continued.

"Yeah. I got it. What the hell do you want from me? And what exactly wasn't clear about Red's threat to you last time we talked?"

"Oh, come now, Ness. We both know that sack of idiocy would never be brash enough to put a bullet in my head. He couldn't even do so to his own mother. No, his younger brother had to do the dirty deed, didn't he?"

Ness swallowed hard, glad no one but him could hear what Shulk was saying. It wasn't as if Lucas and Red didn't live with enough guilt because of what happened. No, now some psycho that their poor excuse for a father pissed off had to come back and use it against them. God, he was such a bastard. In the worst way possible.

"What the hell do you want-"

"Fine. I see you're in no mood for small talk, so I'll get straight to the point. This is what you're going to do. You're going to tell Lucas that you can't stand being with him anymore, that what he did to his mother is too much for you to handle. You're going to tell him that you never loved him, that you were just using him as a place to stay. And you're going to make sure it hurts when you tell him. Then, you're going to leave, and go back to living with your mother."

Ness could feel his throat close up and grown dry as he realized what the next few words out of Shulk's mouth were going to be. "No-" he started.

"And if you don't, I will go to the police with what I know, or take matters into my own hands. And do not think about telling Lucas, or anyone else for the matter, that you are acting against your will, or it will produce the same outcome."

Holy shit. No, god no. He couldn't do this.

"You see, the main difference between me and your little boyfriend is that I have nothing to lose. And he does, specifically, you. The epiphany occurred to me sometime between when I had my gun pressed to your temple and when Red made that half-hearted attempt to blow my head off. You see, that boy has his brother to lose. And Lucas has you and his brother to lose. And you have him. Red would never have actually shot me. Because with him in jail, who would be there to look after Lucas? You? Please, we both know that you can't even look out for yourself, let alone that blonde. His brother having to come and save you was a prime example of that."

"Son of a bitch..." Ness silently swore.

Damn, he was right. Totally twisted and messed up in the head, but right.

"So, in a way, this is really the only way that you can protect your boyfriend, Ness. You're nothing but a liability to him. That's the good thing about not loving someone or being loved. You see, I reap the benefit of living solely for myself, and will always act to preserve my own survival above everyone else's. Lucas, however, can not do the same, or, rather, will not. We both know that if it came down to it, he would put you before anyone else, even himself."

What the hell was he supposed to say to that? For being such a god damn psychopath, right now Shulk was making a whole lot of sense. Everything he'd said up until this point had been the truth. And, honestly, he had Ness between a rock and a hard place, and he knew it.

How could he not do what Shulk was telling him to when it might end up getting Lucas killed or locked up if he didn't?

Taking a deep breath, Ness could feel the jock's eyes on him, studying him intently. Glancing up, he met his gaze for a split second, locking eyes with him.

The mixture of love and concern in his eyes told Ness everything he needed to know.

He knew what he had to do. Shit. He really didn't want to, and it was going to be the hardest thing he'd ever done, but he had to do it. For Lucas's sake. Having his boyfriend all heartbroken and shit was a lot better than having him lying in the morgue with a bullet through his head.

The whole time they'd been together, Lucas had always been the one protecting and looking out for him. Finally, it was his turn to save the guy he always cared about, to protect him. And he was going to do everything he could to keep him safe.

"Fine. "

"Good. You won't be able to reach me at this number any longer, but I will be calling you on your cell phone in the near future, just to see how things went. Good luck. And remember. Make sure it hurts."

God. What an evil son of a bitch.

Ness kept the phone pressed to his ear as the line went dead, stalling for time. He knew, if he was going to do this, he had to do it now. Or he'd never do it.

Putting the phone down, he kept his eyes on the ground, avoiding everyone's gaze as he cleared his throat.

"Nathaniel, what did Shulk say to you-"

"I want to go home. Now."

He could only guess that in the brief silence that followed, the three of them were exchanging puzzled glances, before Lucas took a step forward.

"Nathaniel, we'll have to stay here at Red's till we resolve our problems with Shulk. Then we can permanently move into the apartment-"

"No. Not your home. My home." the raven haired boy forced himself to look up, and hoped to god he wasn't letting on what was really going on here. Lucas was studying him carefully, his eyes never leaving his face. He knew this was out of character for him. How could he not. Earlier that day, he was about to attempt to make love with him, and now he was telling his boyfriend he wanted to go back to living with his mother.

"Nathaniel," he said slowly, his eyes narrowing. "What exactly did Shulk say to you-"

"Wait," Red interjected, obviously catching on a little too late to what Ness had said. "What do you mean, 'the apartment'?"

"Later, brother," Lucas mumbled, not even sparing him a sideways glance as he stared intently down at Ness. "Nathaniel, please, what did he say to you?"

He really didn't want to go where he was about to. But he had to. It was the only thing that he knew would honestly get to Lucas. And that's what he needed to do. Get to him. Hurt him. Because, knowing the blonde, he wouldn't just let him walk out over some stupid little fight. It needed to be something big, big enough to keep Lucas from chasing after him. And there was only one topic that would do that.

"My mom. He threatened to hurt my mom, alright. I'm not going to let my mother end up like yours and die because her son made some stupid decision."

Damn. Lucas looked like he'd just taken a blow to the face, though his features contorted only slightly. He was holding back, no doubt, because Red and Nana were in the room. The pain in his eyes, though, was unmistakable. He'd hurt him, bad, just like Shulk had wanted. He'd hit Lucas right where he knew he was vulnerable, taken the most personal thing he'd trusted him with and used it against him.

"Why, you little-" Red lunged forwards, his face contorted in anger, his fists aimed in Ness's direction. Lucas put his hand out to stop his brother, though, holding him back and waving him off.

"What, wait. I don't get it. What happened with Luke's mother?" Nana's gaze drifted between the three of them, her question remaining unanswered as the raven haired boy forced himself to continue.

"See, unlike you, I actually love my mother. And I would never do anything to hurt her. I mean, honestly, what you did to your mom, that was messed up. And disgusting. And repulsive."

He could feel his own chest tear in two as the words spilled out of his mouth. His breath was burning in his throat as a nauseous, sickening feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. He felt like he was going to be sick, physically ill because of what he was doing.

Lucas's whole body had gone tense, physically taking a step back in reaction to Ness's words. For once in the three years he had known Lucas, he stared back at him, not saying a word. He had no witty remark, no smirk on his face, no quick comeback. Then again, words weren't necessary. Not when Ness could see every ounce of pain he was feeling in his eyes.

And didn't that just make him want to back out and tell Erik this was all a lie, and that he loved him and he always would.

 _Keep going. Keep going. You've got to keep going, for his sake._

"Nathaniel-I- I don't understand-"

"I can't do this, Lucas. Be with you. I thought I could at first, but I can't. I mean, for Christ sake, you killed your own mother, Luke! You say you love me, but I'm sure you told her the same thing. Honestly, I doubt you're even capable of loving anyone."

Even Red's face had gone lax, Nana's contorted to one of horror as she regarded Lucas like he'd just turned into some kind of horrible monster. Of course, she was only hearing the part about the blonde killing his mother. Not all the other details.

Lucas was staring at him like he didn't understand what he'd just said, like he couldn't have possibly heard him right. Because they loved each other, because they'd been through so much. Because they'd just made love. And he'd bought them an apartment. Because just earlier they'd talked about the future that they would have together.

"I've been thinking these things ever since you told me about your past, Luke. I was waiting for the right time to tell you, but then my mom kicked me out when I told her I was gay, and I needed a place to stay… I'm going to move back in with my mom. I'm sure she'll have forgiven me by now…What happened between us earlier… it was a mistake, alright? I shouldn't have let it get that far, especially knowing it was more than just sex to you, when that's all it was to me-"

Red looked like he'd just blown a blood vessel, his whole face turning an unhealthy purplish red. He didn't say a thing, though. His face had taken on a deathly serious expression, his eyes focused on his brother.

Lucas was… shit, he just looked… worse than that night when Shulk had torn up all his mother's books. His eyes were on Ness, focused on his as if he was trying to find something on his face that would tell him what he was saying was a lie. He knew he shouldn't look him in the eyes, not when he was like this, but he could tear his gaze away from the pained desperation he was seeing in them. It killed him to know that he was the reason there was so much hurt and pain in his eyes, that he'd hurt the blonde like this when Lucas had trusted him. His eyes were burning a hole in his chest the way they were pleading with him to just speak up and say this was all some sick joke, the way they seemed so torn over him.

God. He wasn't even worth it. Couldn't Lucas see that? He'd never deserved for the blonde to love him, and he sure as hell wasn't worth all the pain in his boyfriend's eyes.

But that was what love was, wasn't it? Giving someone the power to completely and totally tear you apart and trusting them not to. Well, he'd just done it. He'd just taken everything Lucas had trusted him with and thrown it away like it was nothing to him.

"I'm sorry, Luke. I can't, I just-"

"I love you."

He wasn't saying it like a statement. He was saying it like… like it was the only thing that made sense anymore, like it didn't matter that he had just screwed him over and hurt him where he knew he was most vulnerable. Like he would forgive him in a second and take him back if Ness would let him.

Ness swallowed hard, turning his back to Lucas.

"Yeah… well, don't. I don't want to end up like your mom. She was the only other person you ever loved, wasn't she?"

The waiter could hear Red lunge for him again, undoubtedly held back by Lucas. Gah. Even now, after he had just broken Luke's heart like this, he was still protecting him.

Forcing himself not to look back, Ness forced his feet forward, walking out of Red's apartment without another word.

He felt like shit. No, worse than shit. He felt like just curling up in a ball and crying his eyes out like the big baby he was and hiding from the rest of the world. In that moment, Ness could say without a doubt that he'd never hated himself more than he did right now. Yeah, he was doing this to protect Lucas. But he was still hurting him, point blank, like no one else could. And he would never forgive himself for it.

He didn't know where he was going. Or what he was even doing. And, honestly, he didn't care. He could feel tears running down his face, blurring his vision. Thank god he'd been able to hold them in in front of Lucas

"Hey, Ness, wait up!"

He cursed as he heard Nana's high-pitched voice call out from behind him.

God damn it. He just wanted to be alone. He didn't feel like explaining the whole situation to her right now… though he'd have to make sure she kept her mouth shut about Lucas and didn't tell anyone.

Jogging up beside him, Nana cast an angry glance in his direction.

"Ness! Why didn't you tell me Lucas killed his mother?"

Ness tried to ignore the numbness he felt spreading through him, slowly shaking his head.

"It's not like that. I mean, there's more to the story, Nana-"

"Still! To kill your own mother! God, and I thought he was a good guy-"

"He is!" Crap. He was going to have to stop that if he expected her to buy the little act he'd put on back there in the apartment. He still needed to make sure Nana didn't blab about Lucas killing his mother, though, before he accidentally forget with all that had just happened. "You can't tell anyone. Not a soul. Do you understand?" he said, a moment of clarity coming over him as he narrowed his eyes at Amber.

"Ness, why does it even matter? I mean, you guys are broken up now-"

"Because. Just promise me. Alright."

"Okay. But why are you crying-"

Shit. Ness rubbed at his eyes violently, feeling more disgusted with himself than anything else. God. Lucas had been the one who'd just gotten his heart broken, and here he was crying like a pathetic wimp.

"I'm just upset about what Shulk said about threatening my mom, alright. Can you just give me a ride back to my house?"

Nana nodded, finally taking note of the fact that Ness wasn't in a talkative mood and continuing on in silence.

* * *

Ness stared up at the small white house he'd called home for so long. The place he'd called home before Lucas. Funny, now it just looked more like a prison. But whatever. It's not like it really mattered where he lived anyways, if it wasn't going to be with the blonde.

He just needed to get this over with, though. 'Cause this was his life now. And, damn, wasn't that a depressing thought. He felt hurt and angry and empty all at once. Yet, numb, or rather indifferent, at the same time.

He deserved to be hurting, though. To feel pain. Because he'd hurt Lucas, made him feel pain and left him to make sense of the past few months they'd spent together. God, he couldn't even imagine thinking their whole relationship had been a lie. That was worse, definitely, than anything he was feeling or going through. So, yeah, he deserved to feel this way. Without a doubt.

Lifting his hand, Ness pressed down once on the doorbell and waited. After a few seconds, the door squeaked open, Ness's mother's frame appearing in the doorway.

God, she looked old, or at least a lot older than he remembered her being. Or maybe it was just him. He felt like he'd aged a lifetime these past few hours. Yeah. It was probably just him.

"Nathaniel…" his mother drew his name out in one long, breathy word. Was it wrong that right now he couldn't even bring himself to care if she was happy to see him or not?

Moving forward, Ness's mother pulled him into a warm embrace, her eyes tearing up slightly.

"Oh, Nathaniel, I've missed you so much."

He stiffened at her touch, but didn't pull away. He knew he should probably be happy and all that she seemed pleased at his return, but he couldn't bring himself to. He just couldn't. And it was wrong, and all sorts of messed up, but he would have chosen to live with Lucas over moving back in with his mother any day.

Pulling away slightly, Ness's mother cradled his face in her hands, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

"I knew you would come to your senses. I just knew it. And we'll start counseling immediately to correct your little problem-"

Ness opened his mouth to object, only to realize it didn't really matter what his mother decided to fool herself into believing his sexual orientation was. Because there was no way he was ever going to date any guy except for Lucas, and he wasn't ever going to be able to do that now that Shulk had come into the picture.

So whatever. He would just end up being asexual.

"Now, I kept your room exactly like it was before you left..."

Grabbing his hand, Ness's mother led him into the house, ushering him into the kitchen.

"Are you hungry, or thirsty-"

"No," Ness had a feeling he wasn't going to feel like eating or drinking anytime soon. "Actually…can I just go lie down… I'm kinda tired."

His mother's eyes narrowed for a split second, as if she planned on asking him where he'd disappeared off to all this time or why he was so tired. She forced a smile onto her face, however, obviously deciding to ignore the fact that he'd been gone for over a month doing shit she had no idea about.

"Of course, Nathaniel. I'm sure you're tired. Besides, you have school tomorrow. We want you to be nice and rested."

Ness didn't even bother sparing her a small smile as he turned and headed back up to his bedroom. Pushing open the door, he shook his head, taking in the sight of his old bedroom and closing the door securely behind him.

Christ, she hadn't been lying. Everything was exactly as he'd left it over a month ago.

Being back here, acting like nothing had ever happened between him and Lucas made him feel so… tired. Like the only thing he wanted to do was sleep. Hell, he felt like he could sleep forever. It's not like he'd be missing anything anyways.

Slumping down onto his bed, Ness reached over to turn off his light switch and froze. His closet was slightly ajar, the tux Lucas had bought him for homecoming hanging neatly from a hanger.

He squinted, trying to keep himself from crying again and failing miserably. Didn't that just bring back a shitload of memories.

Standing up, Ness slowly made his way over to his closet, reaching out and holding the tux up to his face. He could barely smell Lucas's familiar fresh scent, from whatever body wash he used, mixed with the slight peppermint aroma he always smelled of. Pulling the tux off of the hanger, Ness stumbled back over to his bed, not bothering to pull the covers up as he turned off the light and hugged the tux tightly to his chest, burying his face in the fabric.

Maybe, just maybe, if he closed his eyes tight enough, he could pretend like Lucas was lying next to him. Like things were how they used to be. Like he hadn't just broken the heart of the only person he'd ever loved.

Something went off in his pocket, and he knew.

Just freakin' great. His day was getting better and better. He didn't need to have caller I.D. to know who was calling him. Hell, Shulk had probably been sitting around all day looking forward to this little conversation.

* * *

 **Wow. I have a way of mastering the spindle, don't I? He's gone and broke the heart of the one thing he cared about. You don't get to decide how that ends all the time. But I know something you don't. Our climax with Shulk still hasn't happened, and there'll be one character missing from the altercation meaning they can't die. Cross one of five off of your list- but you won't see till the end, my friends. You all have stuck by my side and I thank you. Hopefully, you can still enjoy this story with what is to be coming up.**

 **Sugarcube- No need to apologize! Life takes over, it is how it works. My little story should not be the important thing on your mind, no need to apologize. Haha, thanks for loving it! I have a feeling this story is riddling through many people's bones now. Never would have guessed? I must've really pulled the wool over people's eyes that much, then. Yeah... speaking of Ness and Red's friendship...**

 **Ender2412- Lol, I suppose that's a good thing? I mean, your reviews are what a seven year-old would do when freaking out. There's just a hint of like lost control that makes it super adorable, I'm so sorry to say. You read Policies? You did? Yeah! What did you like about it? I would oh so love to know, as your opinions are always welcomed! Thank you so much, it means a lot! Four chapters left my friend, well, still four if I count (38, 39, 40, and 41), but math has weird deductions where you must count the number you have left off at. You're welcome! There's plenty more of that where it came from! Lol, Nana, dammit! You cock blocker!**

 **The Almighty CGA- 68% eh? What's the other 32% catered towards? You hope it's Shulk? I think everyone is praying for it to be Shulk but knows in there heart that it cannot happen. Lucas is sentimental one chapter, the next he's heartbroken. Perhaps dead follows that too.**

 **Retronym- Hello Retro! Good to see you again, how you be? *handshake* Wait... did someone mention Musicals? *Says it in Ms. Darvis's voice* You act, sing, and write? Holy cow, me too! Man, I love theater just as much as I love fiction, you have no idea. Let's so gush over theater together! Heh, my cliffhangers have been told that they kill. And shit, it's happening again? What chapters did you see the Lucas to Erik change? For some reason... my damn processer has Lucas switch into Erik if I hit Luke and I have no idea why it does that. I use that Dragon software for these chapters, the speaking program, and sometimes I don't notice it. I need to change that, so please, where does it do it? And Summer! Can't. Freaking. Wait.**

 **mother-sins- Has the waterworks resumed, my friend? Shulk doesn't wait for his villainess and he isn't stopping now. I think you've gotten emotional over _every_ chapter, dude or dudette... (I don't know what gender you identify as, so pick whichever you like!) But... are you sure I'm joking? You'd know from Cross Examined that all cards were on the table, there was no lying in my heart or speech. You need to be afraid. Very afraid of what is to come. But, enjoy it all the same! **

**Ninten64- Yeah... about that home thingy... don't know if it'll work out like planned. Shulk does know about it... you'd be surprised what the male can do when he needs to be sneaky and creepy. You all didn't trust him from the first moment he appeared on screen. No forced, but he wanted _him_ to call instead.**

 **Mr. Squirtle6- You think it's Red? Okay. *muses while placing a tally mark* Let's see if you predict this just like you failed to predict the stalker and accurately voted for Nana's act on Shulk. Shall be interesting! My stories are twisted, all of them. Some more than others (like Dark Tech Tethered on Darkness, Native, Pluto Vacation for example... if you want a good version of twisted, Pluto Vacation has all the horror and messed up writing I could muster. And a very certain blonde you know written in a beautiful way!) You read Storytellers? Oh thank you! That means a lot! Man, I don't deserve the kindness you give. How was Ness Park in that? Was... he mysterious enough for you? Thanks so much!**

 **Summer Halos- You're welcome! You honestly make my heart explode with that, to be compared with the likes of LordLenne, whom I revere just as much you do. I don't even write smut to be considered such an author, it honestly warms my heart so much to know that. It makes me smile, thank you! Haha, you're too kind. I'm welcome for all the views and visitors from the constant viewing, but please, make sure you live a life that doesn't revolve around a piece of work, I simply must stress. Glad you want to check more out!**

 **YuukixMitsuru- You are so cock blocking me with not posting that latest chapter, dude. _You're_ scaring me, lol. Can't wait for the weekend. Love you man, more than you know!**

 **So... there we are guys. Chapter #37: Heart Shards. Hard to believe it has been so long ago when I uploaded Chapter One again, back from little upbringings in March of 2015... it is so ethereal you have no idea. I got to expand on the universe I created and I must say thank you for being amazing readers. The next update should be on Sunday, the 8th, and I'm stoked. While you wait, if you do want to read more of my writing, this week I suggest these four pieces- Pluto Vacation, Native, Teach Me How to Cry, or Icarus Chronicle. Only PV has Lucas in it, but the other pieces are good if not better than this despite not even having our leading couple. Please review, let me know what you thought! We are so close to 200, I know, just _know_ you can shatter that. You guys are beautiful. Have a great day! Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	38. Chapter 38: Even Angels Can Die

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter for The Raven and the Lion, #38: Even Angels Can Die. I'm super excited for this chapter not only from the title which I can probably assume will have you all being thrown for a loop, but hath no fear! Paradigm is here! Lol, anyways, last time... Shulk gave Ness an ultimatum which the boy took, because he's a little bitch! Well... no, but maybe a little bit. He's crushed every moral and human fiber in Lucas, probably killing him internally as it already is, which you'll see from this chapter- a very sad chapter to say the least. Enjoy.**

* * *

One week. It would be one week tomorrow since he'd last seen Lucas. But, Christ, didn't it feel like longer. He hadn't seen him at school at all. At first, Ness had contemplated the possibility that he'd transferred to a different math class, but he hadn't seen him in the cafeteria or at their, well, now Lucas's, locker either.

He had moved his things out of Lucas's locker the first day back from Thanksgiving Break, sharing lockers with Nana again. He'd checked his locker every day, though, to see if his backpack or anything else that might indicate he'd come to school was there. And every day, his things had remained untouched. Which could only mean one thing: he hadn't come to school at all.

Lucas couldn't carry on like this forever, avoiding him by not coming to school. At some point, he'd have to come back. And Ness was counting on that. Because every time he caught himself staring at the blonde's empty seat in math class or stealing glances over at what had once been their locker, he felt his heart wrench, a sharp pain pulsing through his chest. He needed to see him. Even if it hurt, he needed to see Lucas with his own eyes, to know that he could reach out and touch him and make sure he was alright. Because that's what all this had been for. For his ex-boyfriend, to keep him safe. And he needed to know that that's what he was doing, that all this shit was for something.

For now, at least, it seemed Shulk had been appeased by his little break-up with Lucas. Spilling the details to him through their little conversation over the phone had practically left the bastard giddy. He'd insisted they meet up, though, in the near future, no doubt to plan more of this shit.

Ness wasn't sure if he could take any more of whatever Shulk had planned. He felt like he couldn't even bear this for much longer. He'd spent the last week wandering around in some sort of daze, like all this had to be a dream. He hadn't been able to sleep more than a couple of hours each night, and when he did, he spent it dreaming of Lucas. Which was why he'd spent every spare moment trying to fall back to sleep. Except, the problem with that was, whenever he finally woke up, it hurt ten times worse than it had before, if that was even possible.

Maybe it was because it brought back so many memories every time he did, or maybe it was because everything was still so fresh and raw that the dreams just seemed to make the wounds deeper. Ness was willing to bet, though, that the real reason it hurt so much was because a part of him knew this was the closest he was ever going to get to being with Lucas again. Which was a dose of reality he just couldn't handle, no matter how much he tried to tell himself this was all for the best.

Maybe he'd made a mistake. Maybe this had all been a mistake.

How could it be for the best if he wasn't with him? How could it be for the best if they weren't together?

He hoped to god this wasn't a mistake, that he was doing the right thing here, because if he wasn't, this would without a doubt be the greatest screw up of his life. Hands down.

He hadn't really been eating much, their. He just wasn't hungry. Which made sense, in a way. Not knowing how the person you love is doing, or if they're even alright tends to be a bit of an appetite killer.

He'd tried asking Red about Lucas, but he'd gotten absolutely nowhere with that. The guy had acted like he wasn't even there, walking right past him. Yeah, Ness knew he deserved that, and much worse, but he could deal with the pain and the being ignored and shit if he knew his brother was alright. This not knowing, it was killing him. Really.

"C'mon Ness. You've got to get out of the house. Moping around about your breakup with Lucas like you've been doing all week isn't helping things."

The raven haired boy was almost tempted to cuss Nana out as she pulled him up off his bed towards the door, except that would take too much effort. All he really wanted to do was go back to sleep. And dream. Maybe this time he'd be lucky enough to not have to wake up.

"Nan. Please. Just leave me alone." Ness mumbled mutely, not having enough energy to put up much of a fight as she dragged him out the door, shoving him into her hot pink slug bug before getting in the driver's seat.

"No! You're my best friend, and I'm not going to let you waste away over some guy."

"He's not just _some guy_ , Nana."

"Whatever. That's not the point. The point is, it's Friday night, and as your best friend, I'm morally obligated to make sure you don't spend it all cooped up and alone and miserable."

God, what the hell didn't she get about 'leave me alone'? This wasn't something that was just going to go away, or that he was going to forget. Lucas wasn't just a stupid high school crush. And this wasn't just a break-up.

It wasn't as if there was any point arguing with Nana, though. She didn't listen half the time anyways, and she was obviously dead-set on trying to make him enjoy himself tonight. Too bad she hadn't caught on to the fact that that was impossible, unless getting back together with Lucas while finding a way to keep him safe at the same time was somehow on the agenda.

He stared out the window as Nana pulled away from the curb, allowing a heavy silence to fall between them. He knew she was worried about him. She'd been doting over him all week, trying to get him to eat more or laugh or other shit like that. But he just didn't have the energy to pretend like he was alright anymore.

"Here we are!" she chimed cheerfully, pulling up in front of a huge house. Ness could hear the blaring music coming from the house even from the inside of Nana's car, which pretty much told him what he needed to know.

He crossed his arms. "Really? I don't feel like going to some lame party-"

"Too bad. We're here now, so you might as well try and have some fun."

Ness let out an exasperated sigh as Nana got out of the car, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him up to the house. Didn't this bring back fond memories? At the last party he'd been to with his best friend, he'd kissed Lucas for the first time, which had pretty much marked the beginning of their relationship. That had been so long ago, back when he'd thought the best boy on the planet was just some dumb jock with a pretty face, trying to play a practical joke on him. Funny how he'd ended up being the one to break Lucas's heart, and not vice versa. God, irony could be such a bitch sometimes.

Pulling him forward, Nana didn't even bother to knock as she opened the door, making sure Ness was fully inside before letting go of him.

He could make out the strong scent of alcohol, smoke, and… yuck, probably vomit, as he scanned the crowded living room they'd just walked in to, seaching the area for some corner where he could just keep to himself till-

Dammit.

Ness froze as he spotted Lucas across the room. Red was sitting next to him, scanning the room with a bored expression on his face. He could feel a mixture of pain and relief pulse through him as he took in the sight. The jock was safe, still in one piece, which was good. Jesus Christ, though, he looked… lost, or totally shitfaced, or something in between. He had a drink in one hand, and a cigarette in the other.

Damn it. He'd started smoking again. Ness resisted the urge to walk across the room and snatch the cigarette out of his hand. Because he couldn't do that anymore, could he? He had no say over how Lucas spent his time, or what he decided to put in his body. But it still killed him to see him smoking that shit up.

Maybe, if he left now, he'd be able to escape without Lucas seeing him. He'd been staring down at the drink in his hand for the last few seconds, like it was pretty much the only thing in the room that interested him. Except Ness's feet didn't seem to work right. Or his eyes, for that matter.

The waiter couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from the blonde, or move back towards the door. As much as it hurt him to see Lucas, the only thing that hurt worse was the prospect of having to walk away from him again, of having to go another week without seeing him, without knowing if he was alright. Tugging at his sleeve, Ness could feel Nana pull on his shirt questioningly, following his gaze. At the same time, Red leaned towards Lucas slightly, mumbling something to him.

Immediately, the jock's head snapped up, his eyes locking with Ness's. Even in whatever chemical-induced daze he'd been in, he could still make out the pained recognition in his eyes as their eyes met. Lucas didn't look away, though, even when it was obvious making eye contact like this killed him.

"Do you want to leave?"

Ness snapped his head down, averting his eyes to the ground as Nana's voice pulled him out of whatever stupor he'd been in.

"No," he mumbled, keeping his eyes downcast. "Let's just find somewhere to sit."

The raven haired boy followed his best friend over to an empty couch on the opposite side of the room from Lucas. He could feel his ex-boyfriend's eyes on him, burning a hole in his chest as he sat down.

"God, doesn't he know staring is rude." Nana muttered, obviously talking about Lucas as she glared over at him.

Ness forced himself not to look, though, focusing his gaze on the beige carpet.

"Just leave him alone, Nan. Really, I know you don't get it, but there's a lot you don't know about him that would really change the way you looked at him if you knew."

"Like what?" Nana asked, obvious disbelief in her voice as she glanced over at him a second time.

"Well-"

Ness stopped, seeing Lucas across the room, who seemed to be shaking. Nana continued talking over, ranting as her friend didn't give him an answer. He droned her voice out, his attention focused on the last drink Lucas had just downed, no doubt in reaction to the sight in front of him. His features had contorted into a look Ness had never seen on his face before as he pushed himself up off the couch, mumbling something to Red before pulling out his car keys and heading for the door. Yeah. He was definitely leaving, and Ness couldn't blame him. He wouldn't want to stay and watch Lucas get set up with some guy less than a week after they'd broken up either.

But shit. He couldn't drive, as drunk as he probably was. Where the hell was Red when you needed him? Ah, right. He was still to busy glaring at Ness… no, wait. He wasn't looking at him. He was looking at Nana.

What the hell?

Whatever. He didn't have time for this. He needed to make sure Lucas didn't make it out to the car and end up getting in an accident. Bolting up, Ness didn't bother leaving her with an explanation as he jogged out the door.

Good. It was just the two of them outside, no one to interrupt or ask questions. Still, though, Ness could feel his breath catch in his throat as he called out to Lucas, who'd already made it halfway down the walkway.

"Luke! Wait!"

The blonde froze mid-stride, pausing for a second before slowly turning around. Holy crap, he was more than drunk. As he moved forward, Ness could smell strong scent of alcohol on his breath, mixing with the smell of the smoke from his last cigarette. His pupils were dilated, his body swaying just slightly as he stared down at his boyfriend.

His blue eyes, the beautiful blue eyes that had always taken Ness's breath away, were flat, dead. To the younger boy's horror, there was absolutely nothing in them as he met his gaze. That's what he'd been wanting to do though, wasn't it? Numb himself out with the stupid alcohol. God damn it.

He could've had any guy back in that party. Hell, he could have any guy in their whole high school. Yet here he was, wasting himself away by choice over him.

In one quick movement, Ness snatched the car keys from Lucas's hand.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, though that much was obvious.

Lucas tilted his head to the side, looking down at him through half lidded eyes.

"It's funny. When you talk like that, it almost sounds like you care."

His words had no malice or sting to them, or even anger, like Ness had been expecting. No, they were as flat and dead as the look in his eyes, his voice completely monotone.

"What? Of course I care-"

"You don't have to pretend anymore, Nathaniel. I know the truth now, remember."

Ness swallowed hard, opening and then closing his mouth. He wanted to tell him the truth. He wanted to take all his pain away and be there for him like Lucas had with him so many times before. But that would mean breaking his little deal with Shulk, which would mean putting him in danger. And he couldn't let himself do that.

"I've been thinking though," Lucas whispered, his tone taking on a pained longing as he leaned a little closer to Ness. "I love you enough for the both of us. You don't have to love me, or even care about me. You could just let me take care of you, like you promised, Nathaniel."

Ness took a second before he realized what Lucas was referring to. Of course. The jock had made him promise to let him take care of him, _no matter_ _what_.

The raven haired boy could feel his breath come out in harsh waves, his chest burning as his eyes began to blur. Even after all Ness had said to him and put him through, he still wanted to love him, to take care of him, even if he knew the favor wasn't going to be returned.

"You can't- no, Lucas. No."

Ness didn't trust himself to say anything more as he blinked furiously, trying to keep himself from crying.

The emptiness in Lucas's eyes was momentarily replaced by pain as he swallowed hard.

"Why not?"

Ness shook his head, trying to gain enough clarity to say something that made sense.

"You just, it's just-"

He froze as he felt Lucas's hand come up and gently stroke his face. Even as drunk as he was, his touch was still as light and careful as ever.

Ness knew he should push him away, knew he should stop whatever was going on here, except he couldn't. Being this close to the jock again, feeling his touch and seeing the pain in his eyes was all just too much for him.

"Luke…" Ness mumbled, taking a sharp breath as the blonde took a step forward. "…No…" Even as the words were leaving his mouth, though, Ness could feel himself leaning forward into Lucas's chest, his body betraying him.

Lucas seemed to be listening to his body language, not what he was saying, as he slid his other hand up Ness's chest, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to his neck.

Ness could feel his body immediately melt against the blonde's, his mind telling him to stop the whole time. Shit. He needed to push him away. He needed to stop this, stop things from progressing, because god knew he wanted nothing more than to just let go and be with Lucas.

 _Stop. Stop. You need to stop this-_

Lifting his head, the blonde's lips came down on Ness's, the familiar warmth of Lucas's lips against his sending his mind reeling. God, this felt so good. And not because he was horny. It was the fact that Lucas was kissing him, that, for a split second, he could forgot the past week and just lose himself in the guy that he loved.

 _Don't be selfish. You can't do this. You can't let this happen. It'll only make things harder for him._

"No… Luke." Ness mumbled into the kiss, making no move to push him away despite his words. Pulling the younger boy closer, Lucas began to kiss him harder, his touch turning desperate. The raven haired boy recognized it, because he was pretty sure he was kissing Lucas the same way, his lips moving against the jock's with a frantic desperation that came from knowing this was the last time that he might ever kiss him again.

"Lucas… stop… no, please-"

Ness flinched as he felt Lucas fall back, releasing him as Nana's fist made contact with the blonde's face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Lucas!" Nana yelled, knocking him flat on his ass. "You're just like Red, going around thinking you can rape anyone! He said no! He told you to stop! What the hell is wrong with you!"

Ness stood frozen in place, mortified by what his best friend was saying. She was making it sound so much worse than it actually was. He could understand her being all sensitive and shit about this because of what had happened between her and Red, but it wasn't the same thing, not at all. Even if he'd been telling Lucas to stop, he'd been pulling him closer at the same time, egging him on and kissing him back.

The look on Lucas's face, though, was what scared him the most. He seemed to have sobered up real quickly after Nana had punched him in the jaw, though he was definitely still under the influence. He has this horrified look on his face as he looked down at himself, like he couldn't believe what he'd just done, like it hadn't been him.

"I-Nathaniel-"

"What the hell, Lucas. It doesn't take fifteen minutes to smoke a god damn-" Red froze mid-sentence as he stood in the doorway, his eyes narrowing as he appraied the three.

"What the hell happened?" he growled, taking a few steps forward towards his brother

"C'mon, Ness, let's go. The only thing worse than one rapist is two." Nana muttered, wrinkling her nose.

Sincere confusion spread across Red's face as Nana tried pulling Ness towards the car. He didn't budge, though. He couldn't.

The look on Lucas's face was scaring him, worse than anything ever had in his life. Sitting there, he didn't just look lost, or empty, or numb. He looked broken, like something in him had just snapped.

"Wait. Lucas, you didn't…" A look of realization spread across Red's face as he replayed Nana's words in his mind. "Shit. Dude! You didn't try to rape the little shit, did you?"

"Yes, he did!" Nana interjected, glaring at both Red and Lucas. "And he probably would have gotten away with it too if I hadn't intervened."

The boy cursed under his breath, grabbing the car keys from Ness, dragging his brother up off the lawn, and pulling him towards his car. Lucas looked totally disconnected, like he wasn't even in touch with what was going on around him anymore.

"You dumb idiot," Red mumbled, pushing Lucas into the passenger seat of the car. "What the hell are you thinking? If you piss him off, that little shit's gonna run his mouth and get you locked up. For shit sake, Luke-"

Red's voice cut off as he slid into the drivers seat and slammed the door, speeding off.

Damn. What the hell had just happened?

"Ness, are you oka-"

"What the hell, Nana! Who do you think you are, putting your hands on Lucas like that! You had no idea what was going on! You just jumped to a conclusion and started crucifying him for something that wasn't even happening!"

"But I thought he was trying to rape you-"

"He wasn't! You know how hard he's taking all this! You don't understand what's going on, so stop trying to help. Stop trying to set me up with other guys! Because I'm sure as shit that's why you brought me here to this party, no? And stop treating Lucas like he's done something wrong. He hasn't! You don't know shit about him, so stop acting like you're all high and mighty and he's some horrible person! God! I was the one who followed him out here! I took his car keys so he couldn't leave. And I led him on. This was my fault, not his. I swear, Nana, if you ever freakin' lay a hand on him again, I don't care if you are my best friend, I'll make sure you never touch him again."

She blinked, obviously surprised by Ness's outburst.

"Listen, I was just trying to help-"

"Well stop! You can't help! You can't fix this! So just leave me alone."

Ness didn't wait for Nana to answer as he turned on his heels and headed down the street. He was so angry right now, it wasn't a good idea to be around anyone, especially not her.

The worst part about it all, though, was that, yeah, he was angry at her, but he was even angrier with himself. He hadn't said a thing when Nana had been laying into Lucas. He'd been so worried about incriminating himself in his bluff that he'd thought saying nothing would be better. But, looking back on it now, that was the worst thing he could've done. He should've at least made it obvious he didn't think Lucas was trying to rape him, especially given the blonde's history with his dad having done what he did.

Looking up at him from the lawn, though, Lucas had looked like he'd actually believed Nana, believed that he was capable of something like that. Which was ridiculous for so many reasons. First off, it couldn't be rape if Ness wanted it too. And second, the jock hadn't been forceful or pushy or whatever, not even with him being drunk and all. The whole time, he'd been gentle and loving, like he'd always been when they'd been together. Lucas would never have hurt him, not even as drunk as he was, and Ness knew it. He was just worried Lucas didn't.

* * *

It had taken Ness two and a half hours to walk the distance back to his house. He'd spent the rest of the night pacing back and forth, frantically replaying the night's events in his head.

God, he'd messed up. He really had. He should have said something. But he hadn't. And this so wasn't something he wanted to discuss with Lucas over texts, if he would even answer his. No, he needed to talk to him about this in person, at least let him know he didn't feel the same way Nana did. He'd pull him aside and tell him at school, and if he wasn't at school, he'd head over to Red's and talk to him there, assuming that's where he'd been staying.

 _Beep. Beep._

Ness flinched, jumping slightly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone

A text, from, of all people, Red.

 _Is Lucas with you?_

Ness paled as he read and then re-read the text. Shit.

 _No. Why? I thought you took him home with you._

 _I did, but I left him to sleep off the drunken stupor he was in. I woke up a few hours later, and I found the couch empty._

This was so not good. Not at all. Where the hell would Lucas go? Ness could only think of one place that would make any sense at all. Pocketing his phone, He tip-toed into his mother's bedroom, silently sifting through her purse till he found her keys. Pocketing them, he glanced at the clock before heading back out. It was 2 a.m. That meant he had about three hours before she woke up for work.

But whatever. If it took longer than that to find Lucas, so be it. He shouldn't be alone, not after what had just happened. And Ness wasn't going to stop till he found him.

He'd taken Drivers Ed, so he pretty much knew the basics of how to drive. It took him forty minutes to cover the distance between his house and his destination. He was nervous as hell, not because he was worried about what his punishment would be if he got caught, but because he didn't have a clue where Lucas would be if he wasn't here.

Bringing the car to a stop, Ness ran into the building, jumping into the elevator and pushing the seven button. The second the door slid open, he was out and running again.

Crap. He didn't have a key to the apartment. He had to try though. Turning the door handle, he could feel his chest tighten as he realized the apartment was unlocked. Yeah, it was good because that meant he'd be able to come in, but it was also bad, because it meant Lucas hadn't cared enough to lock it, or he'd been too wasted to. Or, worse, Shulk had broken in and caught him while he was alone.

Pushing open the door, Ness scanned the living room, seeing no sign of Lucas as he turned on his heels and bolted towards the bedroom-

Ness stopped dead in his tracks as he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. Turning to his right, he took a sharp breath at the sight that welcomed him.

Lucas was slumped on the bathroom floor, his body limp and his eyes closed.

No! No, god no.

Ness bolted to Lucas's side and fell to his knees, tears stinging his eyes as he cradled his ex-boyfriend's head in his lap. He had to be passed out from drinking too much. That's what this had to be, right? Because Lucas was too smart to go off and do something stupid. He was too good for that.

"Luke. C'mon. Please, wake up. Lucas, please-"

The blonde's eyes fluttered open, a glazed over look in them as he blinked up at Ness. God, he was cold, and clammy too. He was shaking all over, sweating so bad his shirt was practically clinging to him.

"Nathaniel…" Lucas whispered, his voice raspy and strained as he swallowed hard. His eyes were wet, like he'd been crying. Maybe he still was. The waiter couldn't tell, not with his own tears falling on to Lucas's face. He had this peaceful look on his face, though, this blissfull smile that scared the hell out of Ness. Reaching up, Lucas ran a shaky hand along his boyfriend's cheek, only able to hold it up for a second before dropping it back down to his side. "So real… it seems… so real."

"Lucas- what-" Ness took a sharp breath, trying to hold back the tears he was choking on so he could speak. "What are you talking about? What happened, Lucas? What-"

"Don't cry, Nathaniel. Why are you crying?" Lucas frowned slightly, his dull eyes searching Ness's as he reached up again, trying to wipe his tears away.

"Because, you- I-"

He couldn't even form a coherent sentence.

"It's alright, Nathaniel. You're safe now. I promise. I made it safe for you."

Ness swallowed hard. What the hell was he talking about? He wasn't making any sense.

"Lucas, how- how did you make it safe for me?"

A pained expression spread across Lucas's face, like he was remembering something he'd tried so hard to forget, an impossible sadness filling his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what, Lucas? What are you talking about?"

"I never apologized. I never said goodbye."

Ness could feel his whole face pale as he froze. No. He couldn't have heard him right. He couldn't have-

"I never- I never meant to hurt you. I would never let myself. I couldn't let myself. I had to. I had to do it, to keep you safe."

He opened his mouth, trying to say something. Except nothing was coming out. Because his mind had just flat-lined, rejecting what Lucas had just told him.

No. No. NO!

"It was the only way. I'm sorry, Nathaniel. I'm sorry. I had to. I couldn't- I couldn't stop myself from loving you. I couldn't- I tried, and I couldn't. You were- right. I hurt everyone I love. I killed my mother, and I almost… I almost-"

Lucas's voice cracked, like he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"I couldn't let myself hurt you. I knew… I realized, I would always love you. No matter what. And when I lost control and almost let myself hurt you… I knew it was the only way to keep you safe."

The words coming out of his mouth didn't make sense, not in Ness's mind. They weren't real. They couldn't be.

"You're okay," Lucas whispered, looking up at Ness through half lidded eyes. "You're safe now. Shulk will leave you alone, now that I'm gone. He won't hurt you- or your mother. And I can't hurt you now either. See. I made it safe for you."

"Lucas. No. No. No.-" Ness could feel panic began to take over as he stumbled over his words. "No. Why- no."

"Shhh, Nathaniel. It's alright. I promise. Everything's alright now-"

"No, it's not. It's not alright," Ness could feel his body began to rock back and forth as he began to lose it. "Lucas, you can't – you can't leave me. You can't. I need you. I need you here, with me. Please- what did you do, darling? What-"

Shit. Ness had to take a few shallow breaths to stop from stumbling over his words before continuing.

"What did you do to yourself?"

Lucas blinked a few times, shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter-"

"No, Luke! I need to know. I need to know, so I can-"

Shit. He needed to get some help. He needed to call for someone, call 9-1-1.

Pulling out his cell phone, Ness dialed the number, quickly giving them the address. A curious expression spread across Lucas's face as he looked up at him.

"It's- it's going to be alright, okay?" the raven haired boy stuttered, hanging up the phone. "I'm going to get you some help, alright-"

"It's too late for that, Nathaniel. Can't you see it?"

"See what, Lucas?"

"Heaven. This is heaven."

Ness shook his head. Shit, he must still be drunk off his ass, or whatever he'd done must've still been in his system.

"Lucas- no- we're not-" God. He couldn't even get the rest of the words out, he was shaking so bad now. This was terrible, he was scared. More scared than he'd ever been in his life. What if Lucas died? What if his boyfriend died in his arms, and never knew the truth.

"Yes, I am. Can't you see it? This is my heaven, in your arms."

Ness choked on his breath, freezing.

"I know you're not really here," Lucas whispered, his eyes growing heavy. "I know this isn't real, that you're still back there, living and breathing. But, that's what brings me peace. Knowing that you're safe now"

His voice trailing off, Lucas's hand dropped back down to his side as his eyes began to flutter closed. Ness could feel panic well up in his chest as he shook the blonde.

"No. Darling. You can't close your eyes. Not right now. I want you to stay with me. I need you here with me."

Lucas forced his eyes open, though it was obviously a struggle for him to do so. His breathing had become labored, his chest rising and falling slower and slower each time.

"Be at ease, Nathaniel. This wasn't your fault. I never blamed you. This was my choice, because I love you. This was my… decision…"

"Lucas, no. That's not- I don't- I need you. I need you with me here."

But the blonde jock was already drifting off, looking up at him with half lidded eyes as he blinked in a futile attempt to keep himself awake.

This couldn't be happening. No. This so couldn't be happening.

"Lucas, talk to me. C'mon, please."

He wasn't opening his eyes anymore. He wasn't shaking either. But he was cold, so cold.

"Please. God, no. Please. Lucas- you can't- I can't-" Ness could hear the ambulance in the distance, a few blocks away. "Please, sweetie. Please. Just hang on, just hang on a little longer. I love you. I love you. Fuck! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I didn't know- I didn't think that- I was trying to protect you. I was. I was trying to keep you safe. But Lucas, please. I can't- I can't stay here without you. I can't do this without you. I won't. I'm gonna- I'm gonna fix this. I promise. I'm gonna fix this and make everything better if you just stay with me. Please, darling. Please."

He was begging, pleading, murmuring prayers to a god he wasn't even sure he believed in. This couldn't be happening. His mind kept rejecting the idea that this was really happening. Except it was. No matter if he could live with the end result or not.

Shulk had been right. Some things were worse than death. Watching Lucas go limp in his arms, not knowing if he was ever going to wake up again or not, and knowing it was all because of him… that was worse than a bullet to the head. Without a doubt.

* * *

 **Well... that's a piece of quite the puzzle, shouldn't I say so myself? We're down to the wire guys, there are only three chapters left and then The Raven and the Lion is over... and damn, it's going to be an amazing journey to see this completely finished. I love you guys so much, and the monologue that Ness just had right here at the end is my favorite type of thing to write and I hope it tugged at some sort of heart string in you. Thanks so much for reading today, here are the replies!**

 **Mr. Squirtle6- Glad you thought this chapter was good! I'm happy! I think I'm doing my job correctly if I am breaking your heart, this story is supposed to break it into a million pieces and have it never resurface... ever. Lol. Just now? Dude, meet Ender. He's been hating Shulk since day one. Cannot believe it has taken you this long for that to take place. It's extremely... wow, you're easy. You think Shulk has won, eh? Time will tell my friend, time will tell. Thank you for reading.**

 **The Almighty CGA- Hahaha, this chapter surely proves my point, doesn't it? Looks like Ness has to finish this battle alone, with Red and Nana by his side, no? BUT, at least you're recognizing that this is my domain, the twisted dramatic story to tug out everyone's emotions a single chapter at a time. If this was a map to draw out all the dramatic things that have happened to each individual, I wonder what it'd look like.**

 **WinWin01- *fist pump* While I am striving to make you sad, I am not striving to have people break down into tears, it just means you have an extreme emotional connection to this piece which is super heartening and does more than I could have ever asked from a single reader. But wait... now Shulk has crossed the line? What about the threatening to kill him? What about the stalking? I can't believe you let Shulk off the hook until _this_ late in the game.**

 **Ninten64- Shulk will have a comeuppance, don't worry. Just perhaps not in the way you're thinking of it yet, as someone still needs to get hurt before the end... and it looks like the blonde jock we've come to love is our original and only fall guy. Nope, Lucas may be smart, but he's never had his heart shattered in a 'fake' manner before, because Ness did a thorough job. He does follow orders at least, making him a good sub. We might have a happy ending, but moreso bittersweet because none of my stories truly have happy endings... well besides Teach Me How To Cry.**

 **Sugarcube- Heartbreaking indeed. Lucas is the one I've probably destroyed the most this story. It seems I love torturing this poor boy, Cross Examined is my greatest example of that... good god the pain that happened with him in that piece. You don't think Shulk would have already had that scenario played out in his head? He's clearly smart and good at manipulating things... it wouldn't have worked because the dude already stalks all the main characters as it is. Ness screwed up big time though.**

 **YuukixMitsuru- You can say whatever you like in the review section, whatever you want. And I do mean anything after all, my friend. ;) *let the wink be _very suggestive_ * I didn't want things to die, but for you to all realize, I mean business. And our story is going to go out with a bang, such a bang that we'll be screaming the blues. Thank you man! That means a lot, despite you telling me this like every damn day lol. Sorry about the banged up roleplay lol, I fell asleep. I can continue it anytime whenever you want. I know I'm too much. How do you think I get around in life? By being basic? And it looks like you hit the death sentence on the head... at least, so far anyways.**

 **Summer Halos- Now the cry turns into NOOOOO Lucas! Lol. Oh my god, you're joke is funny, but we will not have any Feeling Shulk jokes here. Will it get better? Will it? Are you sure of that, madam? Hope so. Awwww, thank you so much! That means a lot! Glad you liked it.**

 **mother-sins- Sometimes I wonder if you're going to run out of ways to say this killed you, lol. Probably not. Awwwww, please don't leave. I've never had a reader quit because it was too sad lol, I've had people desert me for writing terribly, but this is a first. I bet you have amazing socials. Was that it? And there's two(?) fluffy moments left. Just two, and a big resolution. I'll love you forever.**

 **Ender2412- I knew you'd be the first one this time! Hahaha, I think you've expressed your anger for Shulk tenfold my friend. I'm glad you liked Policies in Detention! It was just a little story I wanted to do because I get inspiration from literally everything so I needed to. And yeah, I think it is the only story shipping Lucas x Little Mac, but it for sure was the first one, and everyone loved it too! I dunno why they couldn't have added a third girl, it would've been good for him. Least the nerd had his school work! Oh my god. Vines + Thomas Sanders = perfection. What if I ended the story off here, just stopped? That would've been evil. Go cry! I'm serious, if you need to cry, do so.**

 **That's all for now guys! We'll be having Chapter #39 out on Thursday, and then we'll be wrapping this piece up to move in Icarus Chronicle (which I should be updating tomorrow... and if not then, definitely Wednesday). Ness will be in Icarus Chronicle, and so will Shulk, but the main stars are the Pit twins... damn, I have a good season for this year, can't wait. Thanks for reading, and please review! Let me know what you thought and I'll see you on the flipside. Have a great day!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	39. Chapter 39: Heaven Is Ness's Arms

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #39: Heaven Is Ness's Arms. Yeah... last chapter surely brought a whirlwind of attention that ate all of you up... so many raging PM's. I got cussed out lol, so there needs to be a lot of damage control before our hurricane hits next chapter, with our glorious epilogue after that for #41. Man, we're done guys, almost there, our victory has almost come and I'm beyond excited hahaha, more than you know. So... last chapter, Ness tried going throughout life without Lucas and it ended badly, sending the blonde over the edge where our protagonist found his boyfriend collapsed on the ground, absolutely out of his mind, presumably dying. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"You've gotta move back and give us some space to work here, kid."

Ness bit down on his, not wanting to let go of Lucas's hand as the paramedics swarmed around him, taking his vitals and doing all sorts of other shit.

Damn it. He didn't want to let go. What if this was the last time he'd ever hold his boyfriend's hand? What if he was letting go forever?

No. Not forever. This couldn't be forever. He needed to do what was best for Lucas right now, and let the paramedics do whatever the hell they could to save him.

"Is he gonna be alright?" he asked, the words coming out in broken fragments as he forced himself to let go of the blonde's hand and take a step back.

"What happened here?" One of the paramedics asked, though by the look in his eyes Ness was willing to bet he'd already figured it out.

"He- I don't know for sure. I found him like this. But- I think- I'm pretty sure he tried to-"

God, he couldn't even say it. Because saying it out loud would make this real. And this couldn't be real. The paramedic seemed to get the jist of it, though, his eyes drifting back to the jock.

"Do you know what he took?" The paramedic asked, appraising Lucas and seeing that was pretty much the only thing that could have transpired since he didn't have any other marks on his body.

"No. I- I'm sorry- I don't know. I tried to ask him-"

"Alright. Are you his brother? "

"No. I'm- I'm not. I'm not related to him. But, you can save him, right? I mean, he's going to be-"

Ness's voice faltered, his face paling as he saw one of the paramedics pull out a defibrillator.

"No!" he yelled, lunging forward and trying to throw himself at the paramedic with the defibrillator in his hands. The paramedic he'd been speaking with stopped him, though, holding him back. "What are you doing! You're going to hurt him! He doesn't-"

"Calm down. You need to calm down-"

"No! You're going to hurt him. He's not-he doesn't need those-"

Ness flung wildly as the paramedic held the defibrillator to Lucas's now bare chest, his whole body convulsing and his chest arching upwards.

"Stop! You're hurting him!"

"Kid, I know this is scary, but I need you to take a deep breath, alright. We're only trying to help your friend. I promise."

No... no, no! He wasn't helping. And he wasn't thinking clearly. Taking a deep breath, Ness eased up a little, his whole body going limp as he tried to reason with himself. He felt like the room was spinning, with everything moving way too fast as the paramedics attached some sort of breathing device to Lucas, carrying him out of the apartment and loading him into ambulance.

The second he could, Ness was back at his side, a death grip on his hand as he tried to think clearly enough to answer the questions the paramedics were asking him.

"Does he have any family you can call?"

"He has a brother. Red." the raven haired boy muttered, his eyes never leaving Lucas. He hadn't opened his eyes, not even once since the paramedics had arrived.

"You should call him," The paramedic said, the ambulance slowing as the hospital came into view. "It would be nice if he had someone with him. You're not going to be able to come back and see him anytime soon since you're not family-"

"What- no. Please. You can't- he needs me. He needs me there with him. I can't leave him alone right now." Ness could hear the panicked hysteria in his own voice, fear ebbing into his words as he tightened his grip on Lucas.

"Right now, not even his family is going to be able to come back. Listen, I get the feeling that he's more than just a friend to you, and I understand that you're scared. And we're going to do everything we can to save him. But, every moment we waste, we're losing precious time-"

The boy shook his head, cursing and letting go of Lucas's hand. Shit. He was making things worse. Here he was, holding onto his boyfriend and trying to tell the paramedics what to do when he was the reason Lucas was fighting for his life right now in the first place.

"I'm sorry. There. Please… just… take good care of him…"

The paramedic nodded as he and a few others picked the blonde up, carrying him into the ER and leaving Ness to sit in the waiting room.

Shit. What could he do now? Nothing. Not a damn thing. Lucas was fighting for his life a few rooms down, and he couldn't do a thing to help him. In fact, he'd made things worse, waiting to call till he had and being difficult with the paramedics. He hadn't meant to, honestly. He'd just- he'd freaked out when he'd seen them pull out the defibrillator. Every instinct in his body had gone off, screaming at him to protect his boyfriend while he was just lying there helpless and vulnerable on the floor.

* * *

Ness flinched, jumping in his seat as his cell phone went off. He was shaking so bad he could barely flip open his phone to check the text.

 _What the hell? Why didn't you text me back? Do you know where he is or not?_

He'd forgotten to text Red after all that had just happened. God, he was going to be livid. He'd probably beat the shit out of him for this, which was what he deserved. This was his fault. All of this. He was the reason Lucas was lying in a hospital bed somewhere back in the ER.

If he could trade places with his boyfriend, he would have, in a heartbeat. But he couldn't. He couldn't do shit to help Lucas. He couldn't take back what he'd done. And he couldn't be back there with the blonde right now when he needed him most.

At least, though, with Red here, when they finally were able to let people go back in and see Lucas, he'd be able to visit him.

 _He's in the hospital. I found him… he tried to-_

Ness faltered, not wanting to text what he knew was the truth.

 _He tried to hurt himself._

He waited a few minutes for a response from Red, and when he got none back, he figured the guy had probably thrown his phone against something and broke it after reading his text. Hopefully, he'd be here soon though, in case they got Lucas stabilized to the point where he'd be able to have family come in and see him.

"Ness!"

The waiter snapped his head to the right, his eyes connecting with Red's as the burly boy stormed into the waiting room, coming to stand in front of Ness. His eyes had this wild, almost crazed look to them, like a caged animal that'd been locked up too long.

"Where is he?"

"He-they have him back in the ER. "

For a split second, it looked as if Red might totally loose it and start destroying anything and everything he could get his hands on. Bracing himself, Ness blinked as Red's face went lax, his shoulders sagging as he fell back into a seat across from the raven haired boy. There was no anger in his eyes. Only… god, for a second, Ness could have sworn the old bully was crying. Immediately, though, Red wiped at his eyes with the back of his sleeve, his jaw tensing as his features took on their usual hardened appearance.

"You're not… You're not going to beat me up?"

Red blinked at Ness for a minute before shaking his head. "What the- what are you talking about?"

"Well, this, it's my fault. Lucas, doing what he did. It was because of me."

"You think this is your fault?" Red scoffed. "Don't get me wrong, I'll always think you're a little shit, and it's not like I mind having another reason to hate you, but… no. This shit, it wasn't your fault. He knew what," the boy stopped, biting his lip, hesitant. "He was doing when he got involved with you. He knew the risks he was taking with all his god damn baggage and his past being what it is. And knowing him, even with the way things have turned out, he'd probably do it all again, the stupid idiot... nobody blames you for not wanting to involve yourself in all of our shit. Not even Lucas."

Ness pressed a hand to his neck. "Oh-"

"See, he was broken, long before you came along. You didn't mess him up. The problem, though, is that, when he was with you, it's like, you fixed him. He wasn't all screwed up and shit when you two were together. When you two broke up, though, he went back to being all messed up, except even worse, because after being with you, he realized what it felt like to be happy. Yeah, I sure as hell wish he hadn't pulled this little stunt, but… I saw it coming. When you left, he was worse than I'd ever seen him, worse than after what happened with mother."

"I am _so_ sorry!"

"He didn't regret it, though. What happened between you two. Because you showed him what it felt like to live, not just exist. There's a lot I don't understand about Lucas, but this… I get. That's why I didn't just beat the shit out of you when you broke my brother's heart. Because you did something for him that I never could." Red locked his jaw, looking down at his hands.

For a second, Ness just stared at Red, not believing what was coming out of his mouth. Ever since he'd known the dude, the guy had made a point to go out of his way just to make his life miserable. Thinking about it now, though, when he'd finally started living with Red and Lucas, the guy had eased up a lot. He'd always felt an underlying sense of resentment, but now it made sense. He was jealous, because Ness was able to fix Lucas like he'd never been able to.

"Red... I-"

"Oh, please," Red scowled, his eyes narrowing at the softness in Ness's voice. "I wasn't trying to be nice or anything. I was just saying. I mean, Lucas did make me promise to take care of you, and I can't have you dying from guilt."

He cleared his throat, glancing over at Red.

"I didn't mean it, you know. All the stuff I said to Lucas, when we broke up. I did it to protect him, from Shulk. When I talked to him on the phone, he told me to break up with Lucas, and he wouldn't turn him in, or try something more drastic. I never would have done it if I'd know this was going to happen… but, I just, I thought I was keeping him safe-"

 _Beep. Beep._

Who the hell was calling now? Pulling out his phone, Ness cursed as Nana's phone number flashed on the screen. He didn't know how the hell to feel towards her right now. A part of him was so angry at her he didn't know if it was safe for him to be around her. What she'd said to Lucas had helped to push him over the edge and get him where he was right now. Another part of him, though, knew he was the real reason the blonde had done what he had, and Nana had only been a catalyst in the whole thing. Eventually, it would have come down to this.

"Hello." Ness said, finally flipping open the phone and pressing it to his ear.

"Ness? Listen, I'm really sorry about last night, but where the hell are you? Your mom's been blowing up my phone asking if I know where you are-"

"Lucas's in the hospital."

Nana let out a small gasp. "What happened?"

Shit. He really hated saying it out loud. It just made it seem all the more real. "He… it doesn't matter, alright. What's important is that he's hurt, and Red and I are at the hospital, waiting to hear how he's doing. Nana… we need to talk. There's some stuff we need to talk about… about him, and his past. There's some stuff you don't know… I probably should have told you, then last night might have been avoided."

"Alright. Okay. I'll be there in about ten. And Ness…"

"Yeah?"

"I know you're probably going to hate me for saying this, but you really should call your mom. She's really worried about you…"

"Yeah…"

He stared down at the phone, pressing the end button and thinking about what Nana had just said. He really couldn't deal with his mother on top of what all had just happened with Lucas. She wouldn't understand, she hadn't even accepted the fact that he was gay. How the hell was she supposed to understand that he needed to be here for the guy that he loved. School and all that other shit could wait.

* * *

"God damn. What the hell is taking them so long?" Red growled, glaring around the waiting room. "For shit's sake, it's been five hours."

Ness bit down on his lip, rocking back and forth in the waiting room chair. Red was right. This was taking way too long, and no one would tell them what the hell was going on or how he was. He'd had enough time to fill Nana in on Lucas's past when she'd arrived at the hospital, and what had gone down back in the apartment.

And his mother… jeezum, she'd been blowing up his phone so bad he'd finally decided to turn it off. He was barely able to hold himself together right now. Having to deal with his mother right now was just going to push him over the edge, and he needed to be strong for Lucas when they finally let them come back and see him.

"Excuse me," A doctor said, approaching the three of them. "Are you Lucas Richards's family?"

"Yeah." Red said hurriedly, shooting Ness and Nana a silencing look. The raven haired boy had no problem lying to the doctors if it meant he'd be able to go back and see Lucas, and, by the looks of it, neither did she.

"How is he?" Ness asked, stepping forward. Swallowing hard, his eyes focused intently on the doctor for any sign as to what he was about to say. The grim look on his face had him on edge as he held his breath, the tension immediately returning to his body.

"We've managed to stabilize Lucas. He still remains in critical condition, however. These next 36 hours are extremely important. He will either pull through this, or fall into a coma."

Ness inhaled sharply, feeling like he'd just taken a blow to the head. He felt nauseous, a sickening dread eating away at his insides. Yeah, he was glad they'd managed to stabilize Lucas, but… the possibility that he might never wake up from all this, that was… unthinkable. He could feel his vision begin to blur as he swallowed hard, trying to keep himself from crying.

"You guys can come back and see him now, though he won't be awake."

Ness nodded, rubbing at his eyes as he, Red, and Nana followed the doctor back into a small hospital room. Giving them some privacy, Ness thanked god the doctor had left them alone as he began to lose it.

Seeing Lucas lying there in the hospital bed, hooked up to all these damn machines, just triggered something in him, made him loose whatever ounce of control he'd had left. He was crying full-out, his face wet with tears as he moved to Lucas's side, but he couldn't even bring himself to care that he was weeping like this in front of the other two. They could get all... angry if they wanted, but this was bad.

"Hey, Luke," Ness whispered, his voice cracking as he moved a shaky hand to Lucas's face, brushing a lock of bright blonde hair away from his face. "You're doing good. You're doing real good-"

Ness cut himself off, clearing his throat in an effort to stop the tears streaming down his face.

"Red, I think we should get something to eat, in the hospital cafeteria." Nana said, winking at him and motioning to the door. Ness knew this was just her way of giving him some time alone with Lucas, and he knew he shouldn't be selfish enough to want to have this time with his boyfriend to himself, but he couldn't help but feel relieved when Red nodded, following her out the door.

For a few minutes, Ness just stood there, allowing the tears to run down his face as he gently brushed back Lucas's hair. For all the things he needed to say to him and explain that had happened this past week, Ness realized now, standing in front of him, that honestly, only one thing really mattered.

"I love you, Lucas," he whispered, his eyes searching the blonde's face for any sign that he could hear him. "I know, I hurt you, bad, and I swear, if I could take it all back, I would. I would make your pain mine, but I can't. I can't take it back, I can't undo what I've done, and I'll never forgive myself for what I've done to you. I know you thought you were just doing what was best for me when you did this, but Lucas, you've got to know, if I'm not with you, then it's not what's best for me. I need you here with me, darling. Please. You were going to die for me, but, that's not what I want, what I need. I need you to live for me, because we're a part of each other now. If you die, I die,"

There was a choked sob, but Ness continued.

"You've got to know I love you- you need to know that. The things I said to you, I never meant them. I just said them because Shulk told me to, to keep you safe. It was the only way I knew how to keep you safe. I never would have, if I'd know this would happen. I swear, Lucas. I just- I can't understand. Why did you do this, darling? Why did you do this to yourself? You're worth so much than this. How could you just throw this away? How could you just go and throw yourself away like this-"

Shit. His voice was starting to crack again. Because thinking that Lucas could actually do this to himself was almost as painful as considering the outcome this could've had. The raven haired boy swallowed his fear and continued.

"I'm not worth throwing yourself away for like this, Lucas. I'm not. And I want you to promise me, you'll always take care of yourself, the way you always take care of me. Because sometimes I screw up. Like I did with this whole thing. And I do stupid shit. And I need to know that no matter what, you'll be alright. I need to know that even when I'm not around, you're going to be alright. Because, I promise, now that I'm here , I'm gonna take care of you, but- sometimes, I just, I mess up and I'm stupid. And I know I don't deserve you, but-I love you. I want to take care of you. I want to help you through this, and treat you right, like you deserve. 'Cause I know I haven't. This is my fault. All my fault. I know, I should've been there for you. I should've told you the truth. Please, Lucas, I know I don't deserve you're forgiveness, but-"

Ness inhaled sharply as Lucas's eyes flew open, an undeniable warmth filling his chest as he took in the sight of their familiar blue hue. Holy... holy _fuck_. He'd missed them so much. More than he'd even realized.

The blonde's eyes drifted to Ness's, no longer dull and listless like they'd been the last time he had seen them.

"You came for me."

Ness froze, his breath catching in his throat. "Luke-"

"You came for me. That's all that matters."

Lucas's voice was barely above a whisper, but Ness could tell by the tone of it, and the look in his eyes, that he'd heard every word he'd said. He knew the truth. He knew the boy still loved him.

"Nathaniel, I'm sorry. I never meant to put you through this-"

"No, Lucas-"

"I didn't think you'd come."

Ness felt an impossible sadness wash over him as he looked down at his boyfriend, realizing he'd been expecting to die, alone.

"Lucas- how could you think that-"

"I almost hurt you. I almost let myself hurt you-"

"No, Luke. You didn't. You would have never hurt me. Trust me-"

"Nathaniel, I almost raped you-"

"No. You didn't, Lucas. I was playing along, too, and you knew it. That's why you didn't back off. The whole time, you were gentle. You were never rough or forceful. If I'd really wanted to push you away, darling, I could have, and you would've let me, because you'd never hurt me, not even after I'd hurt you so bad."

The jock's features softened slightly, though it was still obvious he hadn't forgiven himself. Extending his arm upwards, he gently rested his hand on Ness's cheek. God, it felt so good, the familiar warmth of Lucas's touch.

"I just- I just need to feel that you're there, that this is real."

Ness nodded, in a weird way, needing the same thing. He needed the physical contact, needed the palpable reassurance to know this wasn't just some dream amidst the nightmare that had just taken place. As if Lucas had sensed as much, he repositioned himself slightly, making room for Ness on the hospital bed.

Carefully, the raven haired boy climbed onto the bed beside the blonde, immediately feeling at ease as he felt his boyfriend's arms wrap around him, his head resting on Lucas's chest as it slowly rose and fell. He hadn't realized how tense he'd been for the past week, or how scared he'd felt. Here, in the jock's arms, he finally felt safe. It didn't matter that right now, Lucas probably couldn't even walk, let alone protect him. He still felt safest in his arms.

Lying here with him, his hand gently coming down and stroking Ness's hair, the waiter realized everything he'd ever need was right here. He'd been stupid to think him and Lucas breaking up would protect him. They'd become part of one another, intertwined in a way Ness hadn't thought possible.

He tried to keep his eyes open as he savored the feel of Lucas's arms around him, the sight of the blonde's beautiful blue eyes on his own. Eventually, though, his lids began to grow heavy, his eyes closing against their will. He didn't want to let go of the moment, not after he'd spent so long being scared that it would never come.

"Sleep, Nathaniel," Lucas whispered, pressing a soft kiss to Ness's forehead. "I'll be here when you wake up, I promise."

And that was exactly what he'd needed to hear. To know Lucas would still be there, alive and well when he woke up. Closing his eyes, Ness felt himself drift off into a deep sleep, the first real time he'd slept all week.

* * *

 **There we are! A fluff chapter, just like you all asked! Man... there is so much I wish I could write, but it's been too long for the story to just have a smooth period, we've got one jagged leap to take, a last mountain to climb, one river to paddle through... you get the picture, I suppose. Lucas and Ness are my favorite relationship characters to write together despite me liking more controversial and completely unorthodox pairings... *laughs* Lucina x Luigi, Peach x Fox, Lucas x Marth, Ness x Snake, the Robins and more, lol. Here are replies!**

 **mother-sins- I expected as much from you. That is all. Perhaps you should be worried... the death hasn't happened yet. It can still be Lucas... it might be Nana, Red, Ness, and don't take Shulk out of the picture yet my friend. I said there'd be a death... and it hasn't happened. This was the warning that I have no problem doing it. Hopefully the happy memory of this chapter keeps you safe.**

 **Mr. Squirtle6- That's the goal! And why must this ship fall? So I can be able to write chapters like this for you, that's why. Awww, thanks for that last comment.**

 **Ninten64- It didn't go well... but this chapter did! AND Lucas did make it! Least, for this chapter. Next chapter could any which way. I actually haven't decided the death fully, I'm considering all options, as these last two chapters have been unwritten (40 and 41 I mean), because it all built up to 39 chapters of reader response.**

 **Sugarcube- No one is dead! Least... not yet. *smirks evilly***

 **YuukixMitsuru- Yeah, I'm basic. That's all there is to it. Perhaps I can teach it to you, if you like. You were happy about that? I mean at least Lucas thought heaven was in Ness's arms, which is why I titled the chapter this, it has unbelievable symbolism. One of them could die in each other's arms you know. I'm sorry about sleeping! I put my phone down and I get so tired, lol. Won't happen tonight! Bring your best, as I'm bringing _my_ best.**

 **Ender2412- I'm really gonna miss your reviews on this, unless you are going to want to make your way over to Icarus Chronicle, which would be really nice of you, but you don't have to. ;) That's ironic, I gotta say. Lucas isn't dead... least not yet. Say your prayers, I am literally doing a random number generator of 1-5, but which # is who... I won't say. Nana is that clichéd character who wants to help, but really doesn't.**

 **Summer Halos- And even though you arrived late in the game for reviews, they've been a welcoming and very nice sight to see, so thank you. Fanfiction is meant to be multiple things, and art is one of them, so that compliment makes me smile more than passing AP Bio (which is very freaking hard... I have like an 83 right now). Glad you liked Oasis, and you know what, I hope so. I'm also an actor, and I guess you could say a singer, so all this writing helps both areas immensely, they feed off each other. You're reading Icarus Chronicle? Gee, thank you! Means a lot! I also don't mind long reviews, makes for good responses. Well... because I picked Ness and Lucas as main characters and wanted characters that are normally grouped, Nana and Red were perfect. If I had Zelda and Ike, who were my second choices, I'd have to change the Yaoi pairing, which I wasn't doing.**

 **That's all for now guys! Lucas and Ness have this last moment of haven in their arms which is the most satisfaction I can give you. Be afraid for Chapter 40, be _very_ afraid. One of five tokens shall fall, it'll shatter and break your hearts or make you happy. I am hoping to have the chapter out on Tuesday, the 16th, and our epilogue next Friday... so crossed fingers. One week guys. Please review! I am like eight reviews late, but we breached 200! I feel like I already said this, but saying it again if I already have. Have an amazing evening guys, love you all!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	40. Chapter 40: Blood Marks His Hands

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of The Raven and the Lion, #40: Blood Marks His Hands. It is time... it is time for everything to be settled and man, it has been a long journey that I'm super happy to have managed to spend with all of you- you're the greatest readers ever and it is beyond my pleasure to write for you. Thanks a lot, haha! Now... last chapter was our fluff before... well, this chapter. It is short in actual length for a reason but that's something you'll discover as you read. Have you marked which character of your hearts or (if you all hate Shulk, then in your lowest of your core) who shall bite the silver bullet. Bout to find out. Enjoy!**

* * *

So, it was official. Ness hated hospitals. He really did. After Lucas had been moved out of the ICU, they'd forced him to stay a few extra days, putting him on suicide watch till they were sure he was stable enough to leave. In total, it had taken a little over a week for the blonde to recover. Red had insisted that his brother to stay over at his apartment few more days, though, till he was back to his full strength before he moved out.

"I'm going out to get some food," Red called over his shoulder, heading for the door. "If I come back and the two of you are screwing, I swear, I'll send you both back to that god damn hospital."

Ness rolled his eyes, having heard the same thing from Red so many times before. Really, though, he was half tempted to put the guy's threat to the test, and not because he'd developed a peculiar fondness for hospitals. Technically, he and Lucas had only had a handjob back in the park plus the kissing scene against the car, and ever since then they hadn't really had a moment alone. Now, though, they would have the whole house to themselves, for a good half hour if they were lucky. Yeah, he wished it was a hell of a lot longer, but hey, he'd take what he could get till he and Lucas finally moved into the new apartment.

Pushing himself up off the couch, the raven haired boy tried to look casual as he made his way over to his boyfriend, who'd been trying to put a dent in the huge amount of homework he'd managed to accumulate during his stay in the hospital. Sliding his hands on to Lucas's shoulders, he slowly began to massage the tense area, his fingers alternating between a series of carefully placed strokes and squeezes.

"I think it's time for you to take a break." Ness said, the suggestion of what he really meant obvious in hit tone as he glanced over Lucas's shoulder at the half-complete calculus worksheet on the table.

The blonde looked up, an amused smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he tilted his head back towards him, obviously catching his drift.

"Oh, is it?"

Ness could feel his mind switch to a one track mode, his body tensing in anticipation as he stepped to the side to allow Lucas to push his seat out.

"Yes. Yup. Definitely."

Gah. He sounded like a total idiot, but whatever. He hadn't had sex with his boyfriend for over... well, actually, never, and they were finally alone. He was horny as hell, and all his pent up sexual frustration was making the whole tact thing a hell of a lot harder than it should have been.

Spreading his legs, Lucas made room for Ness on the chair, reaching out and pulling the raven haired boy down to him. Sliding his legs over the blonde's, the waiter straddled his boyfriend on the chair, wrapping his hands around Lucas's neck to keep himself from falling back.

God, he smelled good, like a mixture of spring rain and peppermint.

Resting his eyes on Ness's for a moment, Lucas leaned forward, pressing his lips to the younger boy's own in a longing kiss. He'd forgotten how soft, and warm, Lucas's lips were. God, how he'd missed this.

The waiting had killed Lucas too, all this time they'd been around each other, physically in the same proximity but unable to have this kind of physical intimacy. He could fill it in the way the blonde kissed him as he opened his mouth to him, his tongue sliding inside as he deepened the kiss. It was in his touch, too, the way Lucas placed his hands on Ness's knees, sliding his hands up his thighs as his restraint began to wane.

He could feel himself growing hot as Lucas's hands came to a stop where his thighs met his hips, his thumbs drawing teasing strokes along the inside of Ness's thighs as Ness let out something between a moan and a groan, rocking his hips forward slightly.

Lucas was teasing him, and he knew it. His hands were so close, but not quite there.

Ness bit down on his lip, trying to keep what was left of his self control as he fisted his hands in the blonde's hair in frustration.

"Lucas, c'mon."

He smirked into the kiss, obviously amused by Ness's reaction as he brushed his hands across his boyfriend's erection before moving his hands just out of reach.

Ness inhaled sharply, letting out a stifled whimper.

Ugh. God damn bastard.

"Lucas, for everyone's sake-"

Ness jolted back as the front door opened, landing on his ass.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?" Shulk drawled, closing the door behind him and locking it.

The raven haired boy bolted upright, Lucas doing the same and stepping in front of him protectively.

The only weapons even close were the knives in the kitchen, but even as his eyes drifted in their direction, Shulk reached into his back pocket, leveling a gun at them. Shit, this was bad. Yeah, Lucas could walk and everything now, but he still didn't have his full strength back, and even if he had, he was still no match for a gun.

"Nathaniel," the blonde whispered, his eyes tracking their predator's every movement like a hawk. "I want you to run when you see an opening. Run for the door. And don't look back, under any circumstances."

Screw that. There was no way in hell he was going to risk losing Lucas again. If he thought he was just going to up and leave him here by himself to fight off some psychopath, then he was wrong, dead wrong.

Back in the apartment, holding his boyfriend in his arms, Ness had meant it when he'd realized taking a bullet to the head would be better than having to see Lucas die. Yeah, he knew he wasn't much of a match for Shulk. But he was better than nothing.

"I'm not leaving you, Luke. Didn't you hear me before? I can't. You're part of me now. I'm going to take care of you, just like I promised-"

"No, Nathaniel-"

Ness stepped to the side, coming to stand beside Lucas instead of behind him. He wasn't going to fight him on this. This was how it was going to be. Period.

Fine. Shulk wanted to come after Lucas. So be it. But it was going to be over Ness's dead body. Literally.

"Ah, so you two have chosen the fate of star crossed lovers, electing to die together," the blonde construction worker pursed his lips, making a _tsk tsk_ sound. "How incredibly stupid."

Ness stood his ground, swallowing hard as he met Shulk's gaze. The guy had this eerily focused, intense look in his eyes, like this was the end of the road, like he'd spent his whole life waiting for this moment, and now that he saw it, there was no turning back.

"You know..." Lucas began, his tone steady and calm. "You don't have to do this. Things don't have to be this way-"

"Yes!" Shulk snapped, his eyes flaring as pure hatred filled them. "They do."

"Shulk, I'm truly sorry for what happened to you, but I am not my father. I did not do this to you-"

"An eye for an eye, Luke. What was done to me must somehow be repaid."

"It wasn't his fault!" Ness said, drawing courage from the jock's touch as he held on to his hand with a death grip. "He's just as much a victim as you are. Can't you see that. When his father just up and left, he had to deal with the aftermath too. You know what he had to do to his mother!"

"Don't act like you could even begin to understand what I went through." Shulk growled, his face contorting in anger.

"Yeah, well, you don't know what Lucas went through either! The only thing you can see is yourself here! You're not the only _fucking_ victim here!"

For a second, something flashed in Shulk's eyes that almost made Ness take a step back, not out of fear, but out of surprise. The older blonde didn't look angry, like he'd been expecting, he looked… envious, in a sick, twisted way.

"How nice, it must be… to have someone care for you so dearly that they'd defend you, even at the risk of losing their own life. Love… such an intense emotion, to bring one to make such a sacrifice…" In a flash, though, Shulk's face hardened, his features set in grim determination as he let out a dark laugh "And such a pointless sentiment. Unfortunately for you both, I did not come here to talk. I came here to finally end what was done to me so long ago."

"Please, don't do this, your issue is with me, not with Nathaniel. He is innocent, let him go-"

"Noble to the very end, aren't we, Lucas? And leave him to rat me out to the cops. No, I do not think so. If you have any last words, I suggest you say them now." Shulk said, cocking the gun.

Shit. This was going to be the end. After all they'd gone through, it was going to end like this. And he couldn't do a single thing about it. The only consolation he had was that however this shit went down, him and Lucas were going to be together, wherever the hell it was you went after dying. There was no way their predator was going to kill Lucas and leave him alive as a witness, which, if he was being honest, was what he would want anyways. He couldn't face a future without his boyfriend in it. He'd been faced with that very real possibility back in the hospital, and that had made him realize one thing; without Lucas, he had no future, plain and simple.

Drawing Ness close to him, Lucas pulled him into a tight embrace, the fear of losing him palpable in his touch The raven haired boy knew he must've been the same way by the way his arms were wrapped around his boyfriend in a death grip. They should be saying their good-byes, exchanging their last words with one another. Ness couldn't bring himself to, though. He couldn't bring himself to say goodbye to Lucas. And neither could the blonde, judging by his silent embrace.

Closing his eyes, Ness braced himself, knowing Shulk would pull the trigger any second. And sure enough, a second later, Ness heard a muted bang shatter the silence. He didn't feel any pain, though. Which meant he must've hit Lucas.

 _Fuck_. No. God, no.

Ness's eyes flew open as he began to panic.

"Lucas-"

Ness's brows creased in confusion as he realized Lucas was still safe and well, following his boyfriends gaze to Shulk, who had a peculiar expression on his face.

Looking down, Ness followed Shulk's gaze to the red stain spreading across his chest.

Dropping the gun in his hand, Shulk fell onto his back, revealing the cause of the spreading red stain. Red was standing in the doorway, a gun in one hand and a chick-fil-a bag in the other. Taking a step forward, he calmly closed the front door behind him, pulling the blinds down and locking it before walking up to Shulk

"What the- Shulk, didn't you understand about what I said the last time we spoke?" Red said, stepping forward and digging his heel into Shulk's chest. The construction worker made some sort of sick gurgling sound, blood sputtering up from his mouth as he gasped. "Dumb ass mother... you stupid son of a bitch, walking into my house like this. What the hell did you think would happen? And now I've lost my appetite too." Red growled, throwing the chikc-fil-a bag that he'd been holding to the floor as he stepped forward.

"No-please-"

"Shut the hell up and tell my brother you're sorry."

Shulk took another strangled breath, clawing at Red's leg. When Red dug his heel deeper into the guy's chest, Shulk let out another pained gasp.

"Stop-shit-I'm sorry. I'm sorry Lucas."

"And apologize to Ness."

"I'm-I'm sorry, Ness."

"Good," Red said, averting his attention to his brother. "Get out, now."

Lucas's brows furrowed, confusion spreading across his face as he met his brother's hard stare.

"What-"

"You heard me. Get the hell out."

"Brother-"

"You really want to make you and your boyfriend witnesses to this murder too? If this shit gets messy and the cops find out, you two need to know and see as little as possible. So get the hell out, and come back in a few hours. By then, I'll have everything taken care of."

Ness blinked, realizing that he was witnessing something he'd once thought to be impossible. Red was actually being noble, in his own sort of messed up way.

Holy. Shit.

"We're even now. For mother," Red whispered, his voice softening slightly as he locked eyes with Lucas. There was a compatible gaze between them, only something that could be shared with family. "We're even now."

Ness stayed quiet, feeling the power of what had just transpired pass between the two brothers. It had been no secret that Red had felt guilty for what Lucas had had to do to their mother, and how it had fucked him up. Ness knew that was probably part of the reason he was so protective of Lucas, because he felt responsible for not stepping up and ending their mother's pain before his younger brother had. This was his way of evening things, though, of finally righting the wrong he'd felt had been committed so many years ago.

Ness realized, in that moment, he'd been wrong about Red. He may have been a lot of things, but he wasn't incapable of sincere emotions. Just guarded to a fault. He'd carried this burden with him for over half his life, and the raven haired boy could visibly see the relief in the guys eyes at finally being able to redeem himself.

Swallowing hard, Lucas nodded, his jaw tightening as he took Ness's hand in his own and walked out. He could barely make out the sound of Shulk pleading with Red as Lucas closed the door behind them, the two continuing forward in silence. They didn't stop walking, not even as they passed Lucas's car in the parking lot, continuing forward on foot. Ness knew, right now, Lucas was probably torn, and too upset to do anything, but walk.

He could see in his boyfriend's eyes that a part of him hadn't wanted to leave his brother to take the heavy for what would undoubtedly end up being Shulk's murder. He'd left him, though, mainly for Ness's sake. Lucas hadn't wanted him to witness it, but he hadn't wanted to leave him by himself while he stayed inside after what had just happened either.

And, as wrong as it was, Ness was glad they had left. Lucas had been through so much, he didn't need to carry the weight of Shulk's murder on his shoulders as well. It was just one less secret for him to carry. God knows he already had more than his fair share to deal with.

* * *

 **There. Can we all just take a deep sigh of relief? You'll all get the bittersweet happy ending that you've been waiting for... man, now raise your hands and let me know if you honestly thought someone else was dying? From the title, you know it couldn't have been Nana, and I left Red out of the equation... so yep, Lucas and Ness were the fall guys, you can thank a random number generator for that decision- Shulk had been number three as he's the third main character of the story, and the generator rolled a three.**

 **mother-sins- You're probably screaming and hugging a pillow with me. But damn... how long have you thought about that with Nana? Jeezum, did not think you'd ever think that. You're not wrong, but that's not an opinion I'm gonna voice aloud, she's my own character (ish) and I've got to love her partly.**

 **YuukixMitsuru- Who were you counting off from your fingers, man? And what's your best on deck? *chokes* Pardon, lol. We still need to finish this stupid roleplay- but only on your accord- I ain't forcing you for it. But thank you for your compliments, means much. My chapter titles have gotten symbolic for that reason.**

 **The Almighty CGA- Are you thanking anything and everything above once more? And I love how you thought that given I said _someone_ would die. Great detective reading skills right there my friend.**

 **Ninten64- For now Hahahaha. And what do you think, if you showed up back to your parents when you moved out for a month and then disappear again? My parents would be blowing up my phone to DA max, so... there's that.**

 **Mr. Squirtle6- You think I would've ended like that? Oh contraire, but have you learned nothing? I play the cards of the game very well my friend, there'd be a lot of damage control and assessing to do if I actually ended that way. Shulk tried to do something... and instead bit the silver bullet that I alluded to since day one. Icarus Chronicle will return this week, don't worry, although it'll be a more gentle chapter than what we've seen.**

 **Sugarcube- You like Red? I've converted someone! I just remember when everyone hated him, then they turned around. It's a craft. How ironic that you thought he'd die by Shulk's hand when I literally just flip flopped it. Thank the randomizer lol.**

 **Guest- Literally next chapter is the end, so we're there. I'll definitely be writing more Lucas x Ness. If it's a one-shot down the road, that's more likely. For any actual multi-chapter pieces, I can't be for sure. Last Lucas x Ness piece I had was Oasis back in July, then Cross Examined which was done in April of the year before, so it'll happen, but probably far in between, if you follow my drift. Thank you very much, glad my stories interest you- an author is no one without his/her fans. And no need to ask if I wouldn't respond- I always respond to the reviews- I've done that since like Chapter 5 or somesuch.**

 **Summer Halos- I love you too... but nope, unless you're a guy. Lol. Fanfiction really is art, glad to see you can recognize that. Oh thank you! Icarus Chronicle is another multi-chaptered Smash story (obviously), and it is about thirty chapters or so, meaning my readers are in for a ride. And... I don't know. I might, thanks for the idea- hadn't really thought of that. But it'd coming next year then... because from this point forward, I am super booked. Thank you for being a great reviewer.**

 **Ender2412- Happy. Happy. Be happy, your eternal enemy is dead. Dead as a stone. Icarus Chronicle will be my summer and early fall Smash story, maybe even if I act lazy enough it'll take me all the way until December given how slow I am. xD Glad to have had you along for the road, just have one more to go through. You can do it.**

 **That's all for now guys! Rejoice in your beautiful praise lol! I love you all so much! Let's end this on a good note, please review! Let me know what you thought of this chapter, and then, we shall wait, for Chapter 41, coming this Friday when I get home from school, posting probably around 4 or 5 Eastern Standard time, so be prepared for it. I'll be thanking all of you (not individually, dear god), and well you'll see. Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	41. Chapter 41: Love's Final Arbor

**Hey everyone, it's Paradigm of Writing here... and it is time. It is time. To say goodbye to The Raven and the Lion, for here we are after four months of drama with Lucas and Ness... and I am super excited and happy to finally say I actually was able to post this entire story because last time things got in the way and I was unable to... *sigh* But here it is now! I am not going to do review replies today because you all pretty much said the same thing over and over again, hahaha, being happy that Shulk is dead and our favorite couple is alive and that you all love Red now. This time, this is a super small chapter has seen by my word count lol, #41: Love's Final Arbor. I'll save all comments for the end. Enjoy the end of such a... dramatic tale.**

* * *

Lucas flipped his cell phone closed, a grave look on his face as he turned towards Ness.

"It's done. It's over. Shulk's dead."

The raven haired boy let out a sigh of relief, wishing the blonde felt the same. He knew he must be feeling some sort of relief, but at the same time, Ness could already tell he was worried for his brother, and what Shulk's murder might mean for Red.

"Luke…" Ness said softly, reaching out and holding his boyfriend's hands in his own. "Don't do that. Don't blame yourself. You can't always be there to protect everyone. "

The jock's eyes met the waiter's as he swallowed hard, managing a small nod.

"Yes. You are right, of course."

Ness could tell, though, by the tension in Lucas's voice, that even if he did know his boyfriend was right, he still wouldn't be able to just forget about it and move on. Maybe it was best to simply look forward to the future instead of dwelling on the past.

"Just think!" Ness said, deciding to focus on the positive in hopes of distracting Lucas. "We can move in to our own apartment now, just you and I. Things can be how we've always wanted. No Shulk. No drama. Just the two of us."

A small smile began to tug on the corners of Lucas's lips, though the tension in his face was still visible.

"Indeed... It seems an odd prospect, almost too good to be true."

The younger boy grinned, leaning forward and kissing his boyfriend affectionately.

He was right. It did seem too good to be true. They'd gone from not knowing if they'd live to see the next day to having the whole future in front of them.

"Almost. One request though." Ness said, his memories drifting back to the earlier events of the day.

"Anything."

He hated to be an inconvenience like this and tell Lucas he wanted them to find a new apartment, but he didn't think he'd be able to stomach going back to the old one after seeing the blonde in the state he'd been in the last time he'd been there.

"I love the apartment and all, I just, I don't think I can go back there, not after-"

"Say no more Nathaniel. I was thinking precisely the same thing."

Ness nodded, knowing they should probably look for a place relatively close to the high school.

Gah. School. In all the craziness, he had forgotten about all the shit they'd have to deal with when they got back. So much had happened theses past few months that people back at school would undoubtedly ask questions about, especially about Lucas's suicide attempt. As if the fact that they'd become a couple hadn't given people a reason enough to talk about them. But whatever. They would make it through all the gossip and shit, as long as they had each other. That was really all that mattered.

"School should be interesting. I'm sure by the time we get back everyone will have heard about all the shit that's gone down."

Lucas let out a soft chuckle, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Indeed, it should make things rather interesting. We have been through more than our fair share of obstacles these past few months, I suppose."

Ness laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, considering most high school couples can't even make it through a few months of normal shit, let alone when you add crazy stalkers, family secrets, and a homophobic brother into the mix."

"Well, I suppose, when it truly comes down to it, nothing can stop fate if two people are meant to be together."

Ness nodded, fully assured that him and Erik were just that: meant to be together. They'd been through so much shit, started out as just two people locked in a closet together at some high school party, and ended up facing off with a homicidal stalker, just for the opportunity to be with one another. Instead of tearing them apart, though, like it would've most people, it had just made them stronger, made them realized exactly how much they needed one another.

"It's been worth it, though, to go through all this. I mean, now that we can be together. Now that I can be with you."

Lucas nodded, flashing Nate one of his genuine smiles, the kind that Ness had grown to live for over these past few months.

"Without a doubt, Nathaniel. Without a doubt."

* * *

"So, what do you think?" Lucas whispered, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend from behind and pressing a soft kiss to his neck.

Ness smiled, loving the fact that they didn't have to hide their affection for each other now that they had their own apartment. He loved their new apartment even more than the old one, mostly because it was farther away from Red's, and the old house he'd shared with his mom for so long, and anything that reminded him of all the shit that had gone down with Shulk for that matter.

"It's perfect Luke, really," Ness said, tilting his head back so he'd be able to see the blonde. "You know what though?"

"Hmm?" Lucas asked, pressing another soft kiss to the base of the waiter's neck.

"I'm betting," the raven haired boy drawled, pulling Lucas forward slightly. "That we'd have a lot more fun in there."

Tilting his head towards the closet, Ness felt the jock smile against his neck.

"Funny," Lucas whispered, leading Ness's body forward with his own slightly. "I was thinking the same thing. It's only fitting, after all, that our new life here starts much the same way this all began."

Sliding his hands down slightly, Ness smiled as he felt Lucas lace his fingers around his belt buckle.

"You know, Nathaniel, I do believe this is the very same belt buckle you wore back during our first initial closet encounter."

Ness grinned, knowing Lucas was right, not only because he wore that belt buckle most often because of that exact reason, but because he'd purposely chosen to wear it today.

"Yeah, I was hoping you'd notice."

"How could I not?" Lucas whispered, his smile turning into a crooked smirk. "You have, as I've always said, had that sort of peculiar effect on me, Nathaniel."

* * *

 **And there we are my friends! That is the closing of The Raven and the Lion! Man, it has been a long road and one that is upmost satisfying... *sigh* thank you all. I've managed to write my longest piece on this site as of me finishing this, and I don't know if any of my other stories can reach higher than this one, but it is purely a start. As I've done with nearly all of my multi-chaptered stories since Capitol's Strike, I like to ask you readers a few fine tune questions about the story and it just gives me an idea of what to do next time I stop in Smash town lol.**

 **1) Who was your favorite character and why?**

 **2) Who was your least favorite character and why? ( _Gee... I wonder who it'll be this time? Ender...?_ )**

 **3) Favorite moment of the entire story?**

 **4) Least favorite moment of the entire story?**

 **5) Any other general thoughts you wish to share?**

 **6) Will you read any more of Lucas x Ness stuff or stop by if _and_ when I post more of this pairing?**

 **Gee, now is the time where instead of reviewing replying, I thank all the reviewers I've had up to this point. So... thank you to, YuukixMitsuru, Ender2412, Mr. Squirtle6, Summer Halos, The Almighty CGA, mother-sins, WinWin101, Ninten64, SpiritWolfay, Sugarcube, my Guest from Chapter 39, Retronym, my Guest from Chapter 33, Derpyburp, Christian Martin, my Guest from Chapter 30, HipsterPrushy, AuPalladium, hollilolli, eiramreht, my Guest from Chapter 23, Yume Sekaii, SolarEnergy07, bladewielder05, Croac, my Guest from Chapter 13, crabbyTomato, ezmonee6, Ally Kenshin, my Guest from Chapter 1, MahNati, Starryskys102, AND Mikaela Vermillion Hyakuya for reviewing. All of you, man, you made my day _everyday_ seeing your reviews just glowing and raging about this story, you have no idea. In total, at the posting of this chapter, this story has 228 reviews, which is a lot definitely for my story standards so THANK YOU SO MUCH! Yes, this number will more than likely grow and I'll still have my heart warm at it.**

 **Now, a thank you to Ally Kenshin, AuPalladium, Derpyburp, Ender2412, FlareGun343, HipsterPrushy, Mikaela Vermillion Hyakuya, Mr. Squirtle6, RagefulThief, RustyG13, SolarEnergy07, SpiritWolfay, Starryskys102, SuperCherryGurl, , Water2813, WinWin01, Yuki7900, Yume Sekaii, YuukixMitsuru, ezmonee6, loyalwolf21, mother-sins, and snowpelt97 for favoring this story, it means a lot, At this point of posting this story gained 24 favorites!**

 **And a last thank you to AShinyBlueMew, Ally Kenshin, Au Palladium, CherryPuffball, Derpyburp, Ender2412, FlareGun343, HipsterPrushy, MahNati, Mikaela Vermillion Hyakuya, Mr. Squirtle6, Naynay101, NintenTrash, RoseSail, RustyG13, SolarEnergy07, SpiritWolfay, Starryskys102, The Almighty CGA, TheEightMelodies, , Water2813, WinWin101, Yume Sekaii, YuukixMitsuru, ezmonee6, hollilolli, and mother-sins for following this story. At this point of posting this story gained 28 followers!**

 **The curtain has been closed on The Raven and the Lion and I am beyond relieved, thrilled, and happy. Thanks for all the support, with me going through so much to still want and post this piece, it is an amazing feeling. I will still be around the archive, don't you worry. My Summer Smash story, Icarus Chronicle, will be having two updates a week at a minimum (please try and keep me to my word, I beg of you), and I know for sure I'll definitely be having a Lucas x Ness piece next year for you all, but it'll have to be a long while till I reach there. You are the best readers a writer could ask for and I hope, with a big farewell, thank you so much. Just... thank you! So, please leave a final review on this story and let me know what you thought. I hope you have an amazing day, and like all things, they must come to an end. I love you all so much! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**

* * *

 _Coming January of 2017_

 _Glitter and Glass ~ Rated M Lucas x Ness_


End file.
